Department for Transport

Bus Services: Disability

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the progress made by local authorities in increasing the provision of audio visual next stop and final destination on-board announcements on local buses through the Better Bus Area fund.

Mr John Hayes: The 2012 Better Bus Area fund awarded some £70 million to 24 successful local authorities after a competitive process. Better Bus Area proposals involved a broad range of interventions including, in some cases, the introduction of audio visual systems on selected bus services. Schemes were anticipated to take 2 years to finalise, with a completion date of 31 March 2014. Officials are currently in the process of gathering final reports from each area ahead of examining the progress that has been made.

Ports: EU Action

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Government's policy is on the EU Port Services Regulations; and what discussions he has had on those regulations with the UK Major Ports Group.

Mr John Hayes: While the Government does not believe that the Proposal was necessary in respect of a proven competitive market based port sector, the Government has negotiated to secure an outcome that ensures the continued commercial integrity of our highly competitive port sector. I am pleased to say that the general approach agreed by the Transport Council on 8 October does represent a great improvement in this regard, as compared with the Commission’s original Proposal, and takes account of several key UK industry concerns. I have had – and continue to have – extensive and detailed discussions with not only the UK Major Ports Group and British Ports Association, but with trade unions and others who are likely to be affected by the Proposal; and I discussed the matter personally with the outgoing Commissioner, Siim Kallas, ahead of Transport Council.The Government remains committed to addressing the very real concerns of industry, its employees, suppliers and customers, and to securing the best deal for our port sector and I will continue to challenge Brussels to recognise the circumstances of our unique ports sector.

Roads

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the cost-benefit ratio of all current Highways Agency minor schemes under development and the applicable Transport Analysis Guidance (WebTAG) appraisal summary table for all such schemes.

Mr John Hayes: Minor Highways Agency schemes are identified from the needs of the strategic road network. They are assessed on the basis that they will meet the need identified at the right time and that they are value for money. The number of Highways Agency minor schemes currently scheduled for delivery in 2014/15 is in excess of 4,000 and a similar number are under development for 2015/16 and future years. The information requested therefore could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Pedestrian Crossings

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report published by Living Streets and Transport Research Laboratory entitled, A Review of Pedestrian Walking Times and Time Needed to Cross the Road, if his Department will conduct an assessment of the road safety benefits to pedestrians of adjusting the time to cross at signalised crossings.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department notes the recommendation that the relevant guidance on this subject should be updated. The Department expects to bring the successor to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, which will include all pedestrian crossing types, into force in 2015. Pedestrian walking speeds and crossing timings are matters for guidance rather than legislation. The Department intends to produce a new chapter of the Traffic Signs Manual on traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, bringing together and updating existing advice. A timetable for publication has not yet been set.

Roads

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) cost-benefit ratio and (b) Transport Analysis Guidance (WebTAG) appraisal summary table for all Highways Agency major schemes under development.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport routinely publishes the value for money categories of major schemes that have been approved for delivery and are available at the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/percentage-of-dft-s-appraised-project-spending-that-is-assessed-as-good-or-very-good-value-for-money For major projects (valued at greater than £10 million) in preparation where the project has been sufficiently developed, the Highways Agency makes available the appraisal summary table (AST). This is updated at appropriate points through the project’s delivery lifecycle.   Details of the AST for each major project can be found on the Highways Agency website via the links in the table below which also summarises the associated BCR: Scheme NameBCR*A5/M1 J11a Link - Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Link4.7A30 Temple to Carblake - Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Link6.7A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon - Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Link2.3A63 Castle Street - Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Link3.7A19/A1058 Coast Road - Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Link3.4M4 J3 - J12 - Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Link2.3A160/A180 Immingham - Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Link2.7 *BCR produced in accordance with DfT WebTAG guidance and includes for both quantified and qualitative impacts. www.highways/gov.uk/roads

Civil Aviation Authority

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many employees of the Civil Aviation Authority have been subject to formal disciplinary action in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In each of the last 5 years the following numbers of CAA employees have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings. Where numbers are 5 or less, we have withheld the precise number on grounds of confidentiality in line with the Data Protection Act  01/09/09 to 31/08/10 - *01/09/10 to 31/08/11 - *02/09/11 to 31/08/12 - *01/09/12 to 31/08/13 - 801/09/13 to 31/08/14 - *

Civil Aviation Authority

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what structures are in place within the Civil Aviation Authority to hold employees to account for (a) incompetence, (b) issuing erroneous advice and (c) malicious actions.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The CAA has a range of structures and processes in place to guard against incompetent or inappropriate performance or conduct by its employees. All CAA staff undertake a probationary period which ensures that only those whose performance and conduct meet expected standards are retained beyond their first year of employment. Regardless of length of service, the performance of all CAA employees’ is managed according to an established performance management system. Each employee receives one of five performance ratings which is subsequently reflected in the rewards which they receive, if any. Those whose performance or conduct falls below expectations, depending on the cause, would normally be subject to either performance improvement or disciplinary procedures. Finally, the CAA has put in place Confidential Reporting (Whistle-blowing) arrangements and a complaints procedure should external parties wish to use a formal process for bringing matters of concern about a CAA employee to the CAA’s attention. The Confidential Reporting process is also available to those within the CAA who have concerns about the conduct of another employee and wish to raise those concerns anonymously or confidentially.

Visits Abroad

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many overseas visits Ministers and officials in his Department have made in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the (i) total cost and (ii) cost of (A) flights, (B) internal travel, (C) hotel accommodation and (D) subsistence was for each such visit.

Claire Perry: The number of overseas visits made by Ministers is published on Gov.uk on a quarterly basis in arrears. The link is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-overseas-travel-data-for-department-for-transport In 2013-14, 17 visits were made at a cost of £54,191. The breakdown between these required cost types is not recorded. Costs for 2014 have not yet been published. The table below shows the overseas spend by officials of the Department for Transport and its agencies, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Highways Agency (HA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).  Department for Transport and Agencies2013-142014-15  12 months5 monthsApril-AugustaCost of flights2,249,359508,225bCost of internal travel276,95852,268cCost of hotel accommodation298,874112,619dCost of subsistence315,33490,122Total Spend3,140,524763,234 We do not hold data on the number of visits. Over 50% of total spend relates to overseas travel by MCA officials to survey UK flag registered vessels abroad and by VCA engineers and a large proportion is recovered from clients. The central Department does not record the cost of overseas hotel accommodation separately from the total of hotel accommodation. However, the majority of spend relates to UK travel so these costs are not included above.

Civil Aviation Authority

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, to whom the Civil Aviation Authority is accountable.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority is accountable to the Secretary of State for Transport under the Civil Aviation Act 1982 (as amended by the Civil Aviation Act 2012).

Portsmouth Port

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on ferry companies operating from Portsmouth International Port of (a) port and (b) local transport infrastructure investment under the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.

Mr John Hayes: I have made no formal assessment of this kind. However, the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership has secured £124.8M for the first phase of its Strategic Economic Plan, and this will bring benefits through reducing journey times to Portsmouth which stand to benefit ferry users there generally, in parallel with the specific improvements benefiting Southampton services to the Isle of Wight.

Condor Ferries

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with representatives of Condor Ferries Ltd since 1 May 2010.

Mr John Hayes: Condor Ferries Limited attended attended a workshop organised by officials on ro-ro vessels and their stability in 2011. The Department for Transport’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch also met Condor Ferries Limited in relation to two accident investigations involving the ro-ro ferry Commodore Clipper; a fire on 16 June 2010 and a grounding on 14 July 2014. There have been no other meetings between officials and Condor Ferries Limited.

Condor Ferries

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what correspondence there has been between (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department with Condor Ferries Ltd since 1 May 2010; and what the subject of each instance of correspondence was.

Mr John Hayes: Officials at the Department for Transport have had correspondence with Condor Ferries Limited on maritime security and accident investigation since 1 May 2010. Some of the correspondence was with Marine Accident Investigation Branch on two accident investigations involving the ro-ro ferry Commodore Clipper: a fire on 16 June 2010 and a grounding on 14 July 2014. There was also correspondence on minor accidents involving vessels operated by Condor Ferries. The other correspondence related to pre-arrival security exemption and the impact of offshore renewable energy installation on the company.

Portsmouth Port

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last met (a) officials and (b) trades union representatives from Portsmouth International Port.

Mr John Hayes: The Secretary of State for Transport has, to date, met neither officials nor trades union representatives from Portsmouth International Port. I am, however, keen to meet union representatives and arrangements are currently being made to bring such a meeting about, if the unions wish to have a meeting.

A12

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve road safety on the A12 from Junction 28 of the M25 to Ipswich.

Mr John Hayes: The Highways Agency takes road safety very seriously and they monitor the safety of the A12 trunk road as well as all other routes on the strategic road network. The Agency is committed to delivering four safety improvement schemes on the A12 this financial year valued at approximately £2.1million. Two of these are being delivered through the national Pinch Point Programme. Tackling congestion and improving the performance of the strategic road network is also a key factor to improving safety. The Highways Agency is continuing to develop Stage 2 of the East of England Route Strategy, which includes the A12, and is due to be completed by spring 2015. Following completion of evidence gathering Stage 1 in April, the Agency is now undertaking a series of studies based on that evidence which will form outline business cases for tackling congestion, improving performance and ultimately improving safety on the strategic road network.

Blue Badge Scheme

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with particular reference to autism, what information his Department holds on the changes to Blue Badge criteria in Scotland and Wales; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals for similar changes in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Blue Badge criteria are devolved matters so the Department for Transport does not hold specific information on Scotland and Wales. I am aware of the schemes in those countries but have no plans to change eligibility in England. The regulations already provide that a local authority may issue a badge in respect of any permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.

A12

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents there were on the A12 from Junction 28 of the M25 to Ipswich in each of the last three years.

Mr John Hayes: The 2011, 2012 and 2013 statistics for road traffic accidents on the A12 from its junction with the M25 (junction 28) to its junction with the A14 (junction 55, near Ipswich) are set out in the table below: YearCollisions201115020121412013154 There is no requirement for accidents resulting in damage only to be reported to the police and therefore this data is not included.

Cars

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has undertaken on driverless cars and their effect on the HS2 Business Case.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Currently no assessment has been made into the effect of driverless cars on HS2. However, in 2013 Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for Transport, working in partnership with Innovate UK, launched a £10m co-funded competition for research and development projects to investigate how driverless cars can be integrated into everyday life in the UK. The competition aimed to identify up to three towns or cities to host trials of driverless cars and other road vehicles in a real-world environment. Trials are expected to start from January 2015 and last between 18 and 36 months. This approach is amongst the first in Europe and will showcase the UK’s creativity in helping our industries develop their technological capability. The Department will continue to develop its understanding of technological capability and its impact on the transport network including for the case for HS2.

A12

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries occurred as a result of road traffic accidents on the A12 from Junction 28 of the M25 to Ipswich in each of the last three years.

Mr John Hayes: The 2011, 2012 and 2013 statistics for fatal, serious and slight injuries occurring as a result of road traffic accidents on the A12 from its junction with the M25 (junction 28) to its junction with the A14 (junction 55, near Ipswich) are set out in the table below:FatalSeriousSlight 2011532201 2012218178 2013323185

Winckworth Sherwood

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has paid to Winckworth Sherwood to date in relation to High Speed 2; and what budget his Department has set for fees to that firm.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport appointed a joint team of Parliamentary Agents to provide support in relation to High Speed 2 (HS2) in June 2012. The joint team is made up of Winckworth Sherwood and Eversheds. The legal fees paid to Winckworth Sherwood are £2,153,020.13 and to Eversheds are £1,747,312.30. These fees are correct up to the end of August 2014. For this financial year the remaining budget is approximately £1.4m. The Parliamentary Agents have provided advice on the hybrid Bill process, the development and preparation of private elements of the hybrid Bill and associated documents (i.e. including the hybrid Bill Plans and Sections, Environmental Statement, Code of Construction Practice etc.), supporting the engagement with key stakeholders and helping to manage the hybrid Bill through Parliament.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which contractor his Department used to write the High Speed 2 Information Papers; and what fee his Department paid for that work.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what process of peer review and challenge (a) his Department and (b) HS2 Ltd undertook in respect of the production of the High Speed 2 Information Papers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The High Speed 2 (HS2) Phase One Information Papers, which are available on the HS2 Ltd website (www.hs2.org.uk), have been produced in-house by HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport (DfT). The process for preparing these information papers includes the review and clearance of the papers by (i) HS2 Ltd and DfT colleagues; and (ii) members of the team of Parliamentary Agents and Legal Counsel appointed by DfT to support the passage of HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of the current Highway Code lane restrictions on heavy goods vehicles on motorways with over three lanes.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There has been a small number of letters over a sustained period of time to Ministers and the Department about this subject, particularly about whether heavy goods vehicles should be banned from the next to outside lanes of motorways with more than three lanes in each direction.There are no plans to amend the restrictions, or the associated advice in the Highway Code. Many motorways with four lanes in each direction do not have continuous nearside lanes through their junctions.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Exceptional Hardship Scheme applications in each constituency (a) were approved, (b) were rejected and (c) are still under consideration in the last year.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The figures by constituency as requested are in the table below. Totals in the “accepted” and “rejected” columns are based on decisions made in the 12 months prior to 30 September 2014: 



UIN 209304 table - Exceptional Hardship Scheme
(Word Document, 79.5 KB)

Shipping: Regulation

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what organisations or individuals were specifically invited to respond to his Department's consultation on changing merchant shipping regulations: weighing of goods vehicles and emergency equipment lockers, published on 16 June 2014; and when he plans to publish his Department's response to that consultation.

Mr John Hayes: The consultees that were specifically invited to respond to the revocation of these merchant shipping regulations are listed as part of the consultation package that is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/312182/prposed-revocation-4-package.pdf We are considering the responses to the consultation and we will publish the Department’s response once we have completed our consideration of the comments we received.

Roads: Safety

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department is undertaking on the road safety effects of advanced driver assistance systems; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect in the UK of decisions to deploy such systems in commercial and public sector fleets made in other countries.

Claire Perry: There is currently no research being undertaken on the road safety effects of advanced driver assistance systems. However, the Department for Transport has recently concluded a feasibility study on heavy vehicle platooning on the UK trunk road network using vehicles with partial automation, but with drivers in each vehicle. Decisions on next steps are expected by the autumn 2014. The Department has not made any assessment of the impact of decisions by other administrations with respect to the deployment of technology in specific fleets. Motor manufacturers have been delivering innovative safety improvements to their vehicles for many years and these have made a significant contribution to the reduction in road casualties in Great Britain where road deaths are now at their lowest level since national records began in 1926. The Department’s road accident investigation programme is designed to capture the effects of new technology on vehicle collisions and the data collected are used widely to quantify the achieved safety benefits.

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, columns 661-2W, on official visits, what domestic visits he has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Claire Perry: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Details of all Ministerial overseas travel are published on a quarterly basis.

Road Traffic Offences

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the EY Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council decision to adopt a general approach, what provisions of the draft directive on the cross-border exchange of information on road traffic offences the UK will have to implement by 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council decision is being adopted under the QMV procedure as it will constitute a change to the legal base to Article 91(1)(c) Treaty of the functioning of the European Union. Accordingly we do not have the possibility of opting out of the provisions. However, the UK has gained a number of concessions throughout the negotiation process. This includes an extended period to transpose the measure until May 2017 as well as more favourable positions on data sharing. The government intends to transpose this in line with its Transposition guidance:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229763/bis-13-775-transposition-guidance-how-to-implement-european-directives-effectively-revised.pdf

High Speed Two

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of relocating HS2 Ltd from Eland House, Bressenden Place to 1 Canada Square.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd had to move from Eland House as that property will be redeveloped. The decision to leave Eland House was a GPU/Government level one as part of a wider rationalisation and the move builds on HS2’s commitment to drive down costs. The properties have been secured on short term leases through the Government Property Unit ensuring the best value office space that provides substantial savings to the taxpayer and the rent payable at Canary Wharf is lower than the rent at Eland House. The total savings over the next 4.5 years is £9,947,397. The total cost of relocating HS2 Ltd from Eland House, Bressenden Place to 1 Canada Square was £ 5,288,747, including acquisition, fit out and commissioning costs.

Home Office

Police: Israel

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which UK police forces have (a) provided and (b) received training from Israeli police or security services in each of the last five years; and what that training consisted of in each such case.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold information on all official visits by English and Welsh police officers to Israel, including on the provision of training to the Israeli police or security services. Section 26 of the Police Act (1996) provides the authority for international police assistance to other countries. Under this authorisation process, there have not been any occasions in the last five years where UK police forces have specifically provided training to, or received training from, the Israeli police or security services.

Corruption: Brazil

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the extent of official corruption in Brazil; what the implications of such corruption are for the inclusion of Brazil on the list of safe countries; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Countries may be designated under section 94 (4) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 where the Secretary of State is satisfied that there is in general no serious risk of persecution of people entitled to reside there and that removal to that country of people entitled to reside there will not in general breach the UK's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Brazil was added to the list of safe countries in July 2003.Many factors are taken into consideration. Corruption would only be a factor where it is linked to persecution.Asylum claims from those entitled to reside in the designated countries are considered and determined on their individual merits against the background of the latest available country of origin information. It is only after a person’s asylum and human rights claim is refused and the decision maker then goes on to decide that the claim is clearly unfounded, that the claim is certified under Section 94 of the 2002 Act.

Victim Support Schemes

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of money spent by her Department on victim support is spent on direct theraupeutic counselling to victims of abuse.

Norman Baker: The department with overall responsibility for victim support is the Ministry of Justice. The Home Office and other departments provide funding for specific services. This is part of the government’s commitment that all victims of abuse have access to the support they require.The Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding up to 2015 for specialist local support services and national helplines. The Home Office contribution is £28 million over the spending review period, and of this £1.72 million is provided per year to part-fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, and £150,000 on their training. A further £400,000 per year is spent on funding 13 Young Persons Advocates to provide direct support to young women who have been victims, or are at risk of sexual violence from gangs.These roles provide support to victims of abuse, including signposting further specialist support including therapeutic counselling. The proportions allocated to different types of support, and to victims who are now adults and whose abuse occurred in their childhood, is a local decision. The Home Office does not collate figures on this.This support is in addition to the funding allocated from the Ministry of Justice Rape Support Fund to rape support centres, Department of Health support to Sexual Assault Referral Centres and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, and Department for Education’s support for counselling via their Innovation Fund.

Victim Support Schemes

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spends annually to fund victim support.

Norman Baker: The department with overall responsibility for victim support is the Ministry of Justice. The Home Office and other departments provide funding for specific services. This is part of the government’s commitment that all victims of abuse have access to the support they require.The Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding up to 2015 for specialist local support services and national helplines. The Home Office contribution is £28 million over the spending review period, and of this £1.72 million is provided per year to part-fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, and £150,000 on their training. A further £400,000 per year is spent on funding 13 Young Persons Advocates to provide direct support to young women who have been victims, or are at risk of sexual violence from gangs.These roles provide support to victims of abuse, including signposting further specialist support including therapeutic counselling. The proportions allocated to different types of support, and to victims who are now adults and whose abuse occurred in their childhood, is a local decision. The Home Office does not collate figures on this.This support is in addition to the funding allocated from the Ministry of Justice Rape Support Fund to rape support centres, Department of Health support to Sexual Assault Referral Centres and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, and Department for Education’s support for counselling via their Innovation Fund.

Illegal Immigrants

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants without passports from (a) India, (b) Bangladesh, (c) Pakistan and (d) China have been re-documented in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

101 Calls

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been received on the charge for using the 101 non-emergency police number in the last three years.

Mike Penning: The Department has received 49 complaints about the charge for using the 101 police non-emergency number in the last three years. Research by Ofcom shows that a small fixed charge does not deter people from calling the service and reduces the likelihood of it being used inappropriately. The latest Crime Survey (published July 2013) shows that use of the 101 number has increased since 2011.

101 Calls

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the 101 non-emergency police number on the number of non-essential 999 calls.

Mike Penning: Whilst we have monitored the effect of the 101 non-emergency police number on the number of 999 calls, we have not undertaken an official assessment. We are currently considering, with other government departments, options to review the impact of 101, including on 999.

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 667W, on official visits, what domestic visits she has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Karen Bradley: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Victim Support Schemes

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the money spent by her Department on direct therapeutic counselling of victims of abuse is spent on people now adults and whose abuse occurred in their childhood.

Norman Baker: The department with overall responsibility for victim support is the Ministry of Justice. The Home Office and other departments provide funding for specific services. This is part of the government’s commitment that all victims of abuse have access to the support they require.The Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding up to 2015 for specialist local support services and national helplines. The Home Office contribution is £28 million over the spending review period, and of this £1.72 million is provided per year to part-fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, and £150,000 on their training. A further £400,000 per year is spent on funding 13 Young Persons Advocates to provide direct support to young women who have been victims, or are at risk of sexual violence from gangs.These roles provide support to victims of abuse, including signposting further specialist support including therapeutic counselling. The proportions allocated to different types of support, and to victims who are now adults and whose abuse occurred in their childhood, is a local decision. The Home Office does not collate figures on this.This support is in addition to the funding allocated from the Ministry of Justice Rape Support Fund to rape support centres, Department of Health support to Sexual Assault Referral Centres and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, and Department for Education’s support for counselling via their Innovation Fund.

Stop and Search

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to reduce the administration associated with police stop and search procedures.

Mike Penning: This Government has taken firm and far reaching action to reform the use of stop and search powers. In April, the Government announced reforms to the police’s use of stop and search to ensure that this measure is used fairly, effectively and with the support of local communities. When stop and search is misused, it is a waste of police time and undermines police and community relations, making the job of policing more difficult. The voluntary Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme, and other measures announced, are designed to reduce the number of stop and searches and promote the proper and effective use of this power. In addition, we are working to explore the possibility of quick and efficient stop and search data recording through the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Network, which will replace the national Airwave system from 2017. This is in addition to action the Government took in 2011 to scrap bureaucratic recording of all stop and accounts and to reduce the number of items recorded from 12 to 7.

Slavery

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who has been appointed to the role of Designate Anti-Slavery Commissioner, advertised in August 2014; and on the basis of what job description they were appointed.

Karen Bradley: The open competition to appoint a Designate Anti-slavery Commissioner is expected to conclude shortly, at which point an announcement will be made. The job description provided to candidates is attached.   



Anti-slavery commissioner -  job description
(Word Document, 57 KB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Somalia

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will raise with her Somali counterpart allegations of sexual exploitation and rape including against young children by African Union soldiers who were on peacekeeping duties during 2013.

James Duddridge: I have raised these allegations with the African Union and the relevant troop contributing countries, who have undertaken to investigate them. We will continue to raise this and to monitor the outcome of their investigation.I also welcome the African Union’s (AU) recent confirmation of its zero tolerance policy on misconduct and abuses in peace support operations, and commend the efforts made by the AU to improve its mechanisms for preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse.The UK already supports pre-deployment training programmes for AMISOM on prevention of sexual violence, international human rights laws, and best practice in assisting women and children in the aftermath of violent conflict. It also provides support to the AU’s Gender Peace and Security Programme, which seeks to mainstream gender issues in all peace enforcement operations. The UK encourages the AU and countries contributing troops to AU peace support operations to continue efforts to strengthen these mechanisms.The UK has also been working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia on sexual violence issues. At the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict held in June, the Federal Government of Somalia presented a three year action plan to combat sexual violence in Somalia. The UK is supporting implementation of this plan and hopes that AMISOM will be a key partner in this effort. Helping to tackle sexual abuse and violence remains a priority for the UK in its engagement on Somalia.

Africa

Mr John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to (a) provide and (b) facilitate (i) military and (ii) other training to law enforcement agencies in Africa to tackle wildlife poaching and smuggling.

James Duddridge: The UK Government is committed to playing its part in international action to tackle wildlife poaching and smuggling.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is using its network of diplomatic posts to influence international efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade, including through supporting anti-poaching and trafficking initiatives.In December 2013 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for International Development announced £10 million of funding, over 4 years, to help developing countries tackle the illegal wildlife trade. The funding will support actions under three themes: developing sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by illegal wildlife trade, strengthening law enforcement and the role of the criminal justice system, and reducing demand for the products of illegal wildlife trade.One of the projects already selected for funding aims to identify trafficking routes, individuals and networks involved in the illegal trade of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horns in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. This project will increase cooperation between national and international authorities.Further information about projects that successfully applied for funding under the competitive “Illegal Wildlife Challenge Fund” this summer will be available soon.The FCO is working with a number of African countries in assisting them with options to provide anti-poaching training. For example, the British Army ran a training programme for the Kenyan Wildlife Service and the Kenyan Forestry Service, beginning in December 2013, with the aim of sharing operational tactics with Kenyan rangers following the killing of over 60 rangers on duty across the country by poachers in the past two years.

NATO: Newport

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will propose at the next NATO Leaders Summit extending that alliance's support for the principles of weapons ban conventions, which are outlined in the Wales Declaration, to nuclear weapons.

Mr David Lidington: As set out in its 2010 Strategic Concept, NATO is committed to the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons. However, for as long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO has stated that it will remain a nuclear alliance.The United Kingdom fully supports efforts to combat the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction through the universalisation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention. Furthermore, the UK will continue to work to make nuclear weapons less necessary, with the goal of making them unnecessary. We believe that the best way to achieve a world without nuclear weapons is through gradual disarmament negotiated step–by-step within the framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010, we consider that our nuclear deterrent is the ultimate means to deter the most extreme threats, and the United Kingdom will retain a credible, continuous and effective minimum nuclear deterrent for as long as the global security situation makes it necessary.

International Relations

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of increased ties between North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: North Korea: Russian relations with North Korea have been gradually increasing in the last 12 months. The Russian Duma voted in June to 'forgive' nearly $10 billion of debt. At the beginning of October DPRK Foreign Minister Ri visited Moscow and, according to DPRK media, during this visit Russia agreed to provide food aid to the DPRK. A series of Russian investment visits reportedly planned for the rest of 2014. Russia shares international concerns over North Korea’s security posture and is a party to the (stalled) Six-Party Talks to resolve these concerns. Iran: Presidents Putin and Rouhani recently met in the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Summit. We have expressed our concerns that the proposed “oil for goods” deal between Russia and Iran seems to run contrary to ongoing sanctions against Iran. Russia also continues to be heavily involved in the Iranian civilian nuclear sector, running the Bushehr nuclear plant for Iran. The UK and Russia also work together as part of the E3+3 to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. Venezuela: Venezuela has signed a range of cooperation agreements over the past ten years with Cuba, the People's Republic of China, Russian Federation and Iran, mostly in commercial areas. There are regular meetings between the Venezuelan government and those governments. Venezuela and Cuba have very strong political, economic and social ties. In June 2014, a resolution published in the Venezuelan National Gazette gave agreement for North Korea to reopen an embassy in CaracasCuba: Russia and Cuba have continued the traditionally close ties established between the Soviet Union and Cuba. President Putin visited Cuba prior to the BRICS summit in July and reportedly ‘forgave’ $30 billion of Cuban debt to the Soviet Union (90% of Cuba’s outstanding debt to Russia). China: Russia and China have expanded their relations in the last 12 months, including signing in May of a key energy deal - the culmination of years of negotiations. The deal, worth an estimated $400 billion will see Russia start to provide natural gas resources to China from 2018, and through to 2044. This was an expected development between the country with the world’s largest energy reserves (Russia), and the country with the highest energy consumption (China). China has not supported Russia’s actions in Ukraine at the UN Security Council, nor in the UN General Assembly. Both sides have announced they will sign further deals to expand trade and investment at the upcoming ASEM summit in Milan this month.

Capital Punishment

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances about the death penalty the Government sought from the authorities in (a) California, (b) Dubai and (c) Japan before permitting UK police forces and other agencies to support criminal investigations in those jurisdictions; and if he will publish those assurances.

Mr David Lidington: It is the longstanding policy of the UK to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. In cases where the British Government provides support or assistance to criminal investigations overseas, we routinely seek assurances regarding the death penalty from the authorities of those jurisdictions, but these are confidential agreements between the UK and the relevant jurisdiction.

Foreign Relations

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relations with (a) Cuba, (b) North Korea, (c) Venezuela, (d) Russia and (e) Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The UK’s bilateral relations with Cuba cover a broad range of foreign policy subjects including climate change, counter narcotics, trade and human rights. We continue to engage with the Cuban government to strengthen bilateral relations and promote reform. This includes support for recent economic changes such as a new foreign investment law, and by raising human rights concerns where appropriate.The UK and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have had formal bilateral relations since December 2000. Since then, the UK has concentrated on two main foreign policy areas: counter-proliferation and human rights. Our policy of “critical engagement” is intended to promote incremental change: it allows us directly to communicate issues of substantial concern, and focuses on exposing people in North Korea to international values and the benefits of engaging with the international community. Our Embassy in Pyongyang helps to improve our understanding of what is happening inside the country, as well as providing support for small-scale projects aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable in DPRK society.The UK and Venezuela have a constructive and practical relationship and engage in cooperation in areas of mutual interest: our counternarcotics cooperation is vital in tackling illegal drugs trafficking; we are engaging closely ahead of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations; and our trade links support economic development in both countries, particularly in the oil sector. We have been following the political situation in Venezuela closely and were deeply saddened by the deaths that occurred in protests earlier this year. The British Government called on all sides to reduce tension and take steps to promote political reconciliation through genuine dialogue.The UK has endeavoured over the past 23 years to build a constructive and mutually beneficial relationship with Russia, to support its integration into the international community and international rules-based system. By its illegal annexation of Crimea, and its aggressive destabilisation of south eastern Ukraine, the Russian leadership has rejected that offer of partnership and instead chosen a path of confrontation. We deeply regret this. Moscow needs to understand that military aggression, destabilisation of a sovereign neighbour, and flouting of international commitments have serious consequences. So whilst we need to maintain a relationship with Russia that enables dialogue and ongoing co-operation on high priority global issues, it cannot be business-as-usual. The UK hopes that the Russian leadership will take the necessary steps to help secure a lasting peace in eastern Ukraine that restores respect for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and enables Russia to return to a constructive relationship with the rest of the world.Following the attack on our Embassy in Iran on 29 November 2011, diplomatic relations with Iran were reduced to their lowest level possible, but were not completely severed. Over the past year, we have been seeking to improve UK/Iran relations on a step-by-step and reciprocal basis. Most recently, My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met President Rouhani on 24 September in the margins of the UN General Assembly - the first such meeting since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Both agreed that there had been significant differences between our countries in the past, and that we should seek to progressively improve our bilateral relationship.

Occupied Territories

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Israeli government following the announcement of further settlement building on Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I raised the issue of settlements with the Israeli Justice Minister on 6 October during my visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories from 6-8 October. The UK robustly and repeatedly raises its concerns over settlement building with the Israeli authorities, at all levels. Since the announcement of the expropriation of 988 acres of land on 31 August, the UK has made a number of representations to the Israeli authorities, making our views on the move clear, including to the Israeli Cabinet Secretary, the National Security Advisor, and the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UK also raised its serious concern about the Givat Hamatos announcement with Israel’s Cabinet Secretary on 2 October.

Occupied Territories

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with EU counterparts following the Israeli government's announcement of further settlement building on Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) statement of 1 September made clear, the UK deplores Israel’s decision to expropriate 988 acres of land around the settlement of Etzion. Along with a number of EU counterparts, and the European External Action Service, the Foreign Secretary urged the Israeli authorities to reverse this decision. The UK closely coordinates on the issue of settlements with EU partners on which the UK, and EU’s, position is clear: they are illegal under international law, and an obstacle to the two state solution.

Ukraine

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from the government of Ukraine on membership of the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: On 16 September the Ukraine Parliament (Rada) ratified the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, demonstrating Ukraine’s commitment to closer integration with the European Union. The European Parliament gave its consent to the Agreement in parallel. The Rada also voted in favour of Ukraine submitting an application for EU membership.On 25 September, President Poroshenko announced that Ukraine would submit a bid for membership of the EU in 2020.We have consistently made clear our position that any European country that meets the criteria should be able to apply for EU membership; this includes Ukraine, if that is what the people of Ukraine want. Countries must meet all the rigorous conditions of membership in full before joining the EU. No bilateral representations on this issue have been received.

NATO

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on defence of the eastern borders of the Alliance; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: My Rt Hon Friend The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and the Secretary of State for Defence, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), discussed defence, deterrence and reassurance to Allies in relation a range of threats to the Alliance at the North Atlanitc Treaty Organisation (NATO) Summit in Wales on 4-5 September 2014.As the Prime Minister set out in his statement to the House on 8 September, Official Report, column 653, the Wales Summit launched a NATO Readiness Action Plan which will enable NATO to respond faster to the new and emerging threats, including on NATO’s eastern border. To support this, the UK will continue to participate in assurance measures to support our Eastern Allies and contribute 3,500 personnel for exercises.

Belarus

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received on human rights in Belarus; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: We regularly receive and make representations to the Belarusian government on human rights both bilaterally and through the EU, particularly on the release of political prisoners and the abolition of the Death Penalty. Most recently, in September our Ambassador in Belarus met with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials to discuss the Death Penalty. We have also recently engaged with the Belarusian MFA on the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution in Belarus.

Uzbekistan

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Uzbekistan on reports of human rights abuses.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Uzbekistan remains a Country of Concern in our latest Annual Human Rights Report. We regularly raise our concerns directly with the Uzbek authorities, through our Embassy in Tashkent and at Ministerial level, most recently during Baroness Warsi’s visit to Tashkent as Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in meetings with Uzbek Ministerial counterparts in April this year. We also encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments, both bilaterally and with our international partners.In addition to raising concerns, our Embassy in Tashkent funds projects that support good governance and human rights.

Ukraine

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in bringing to justice those responsible for the destruction of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 on 17 July 2014.

Mr David Lidington: UN Security Council Resolution 2166 condemned the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in the strongest possible terms and called for a full, thorough and independent international investigation. We continue to work closely with the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM), which is leading the investigation.As my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister has made clear, the weight of evidence is pointing in one direction: MH17 was shot down by a missile fired by pro-Russian separatists. We welcome the Dutch Safety Board’s preliminary report of 9 September which further supports this evidence and makes it clear that this was not the result of human or technical error.

Tamils

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will review the decision to move the BBC Tamil Service from London to Delhi; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: The decision to move BBC Tamil to Delhi is a matter for the BBC World Service, which is as the hon. Member will know editorially, managerially and financially independent from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Israel

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel about potential breaches of international law by that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv discussed Israel’s cooperation with the UN Commission of Inquiry and meeting international standards of accountability as a whole with the Director of International Law at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 30 September. Officials have also lobbied Israeli Cabinet Ministers, the National Security Council and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Members of the Knesset and Knesset officials, for Israel to address the international community’s concerns over the deaths of over 2000 Gazans.We are pressing Israel to demonstrate accountability for its actions during the recent Gaza conflict. The Israel Defence Forces have launched a number of internal processes to investigate specific cases of engagement, and the Israeli State Comptroller has launched an investigation into the Government’s conduct. We will watch these closely. But there will also be international procedures which must examine the actions of both Hamas and Israel. Both sides should cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council, which must itself be independent and balanced in its approach.

Islamic State

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what personnel and frontline fighter aircraft from Middle Eastern States will participate in the coalition against ISIL.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Iraqi forces, including the Peshmerga, are key parts of the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as is the Syrian moderate opposition. Aircraft from Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been involved in airstrikes against the terrorist group in Syria. Other states in the region are also providing humanitarian, logistical and other support to international efforts to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL.

Bangladesh

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with the Bangladeshi Prime Minister on (a) international recognition of her recent election, (b) alleged human rights violations preceding that election and (c) the promotion of free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh in future during her visit to the UK in January 2014.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) met Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in London in July. He noted the UK’s disappointment over Bangladesh’s parliamentary election in January 2014 with more than half of constituencies uncontested. They agreed on the importance of open society and a political system in which democratic political participation and media freedoms are respected. We have also raised concerns about human rights violations with the government of Bangladesh in the aftermath of elections and have continued to encourage dialogue between Bangladesh’s political parties to strengthen democratic accountability and to put an end to the damaging 5-cycle of one-sided elections, electoral violence and instability.

Moldova

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his counterparts in the EU to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova are free and fair; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The United Kingdom plans to contribute to an international mission observing the elections in Moldova. The mission is being led by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE’s) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OHDIR). We expect other EU Member States to do likewise.

Palestinians

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the arrest and trial of Ali Shamlawi, Mohammed Kleib, Mohammed Suleiman, Ammar Souf, and Tamer Souf, Palestinian boys from Hares who are in Israeli custody.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials in the British Consulate General in Jerusalem and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv have been following the case closely and officials have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities, including the Israeli Defence Force and Ministry of Justice. We are concerned by any allegations of torture or mistreatment. We have not, however, been able to confirm allegations of torture in this case.Our Embassy is currently working with the Israeli Ministry of Justice to be allowed to attend one of the trials of the teenagers.

Palestinians

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make enquiries with the Israeli government about the current status, treatment and trial of five Palestinian boys from Hares who have been in Israeli custody since March 2013.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials in the British Consulate General in Jerusalem and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv have been following the case closely and officials have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities, including the Israeli Defence Force and Ministry of Justice. We are concerned by any allegations of torture or mistreatment. We have not, however, been able to confirm allegations of torture in this case.Our Embassy is currently working with the Israeli Ministry of Justice to be allowed to attend one of the trials of the teenagers.

Palestinians

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli government on allegations of torture of five Palestinian boys from Hares who have been in Israeli custody since March 2013.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials in the British Consulate General in Jerusalem and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv have been following the case closely and officials have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities, including the Israeli Defence Force and Ministry of Justice. We are concerned by any allegations of torture or mistreatment. We have not, however, been able to confirm allegations of torture in this case.Our Embassy is currently working with the Israeli Ministry of Justice to be allowed to attend one of the trials of the teenagers.

Angola

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Angolan counterpart on food supply in that country.

James Duddridge: The Angolan government is leading the response to food shortages in provinces in the West of Angola. The UK is supporting this work through multilateral organisations such as the EU and UN. The agricultural sector is one of the areas of focus of the High Level Prosperity Partnership between Angola and the UK that was launched in 2013. Officials from the Angolan Ministry of Agriculture and Trade have recently visited the United Kingdom for discussions about how to develop Angolan wheat production, storage and transport systems.

Angola

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on the food supply crisis in Angola.

James Duddridge: Although the Department for International Development (DfID) no longer has an in-country programme in Angola, it does provide humanitarian oversight and engages with multilateral organisations, such as the UN and EU. FCO and DfID officials are in regular discussions about the international response to food security issues.

Iran

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what restrictions are in place on trade with, and exports to, Iran; what changes there have been in such restrictions in the last two years; what his policy is on amending the current restrictions; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The EU has an extensive sanctions regime against Iran, including an oil embargo and severe restrictions on the Iranian financial sector. In December 2012, the EU added further measures, including trade in raw metals and the import of Iranian natural gas. As a result of the Joint Plan of Action, agreed between Iran and the E3+3, the EU agreed to suspend sanctions on trade in petrochemicals, gold and precious metals and not to impose any new sanctions for the duration of the agreement. Unless the nuclear issue is resolved, the government will not promote trade with Iran and the EU sanctions will remain in place.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Royal Mail

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assurances were sought from priority investors ahead of the privatisation of Royal Mail on long-term holding of shares by (a) Ministers in his Department (b) Officials in his Department (c) the Financial Adviser to the Government and (d) the banking syndicate working on the privatisation.

Matthew Hancock: No assurances were sought from the priority investors ahead of the sale of shares in Royal Mail.   Any mechanism which requires a buyer to give up the rights normally associated with shares, such as a restriction on the right to sell those shares for a period of time, would be reflected in the price investors would be prepared to pay for those shares.   These investors gave the Government confidence to take forward the IPO which raised nearly £2bn for the tax payer and reduced the risk that the tax payer to support the universal postal service.

Business: Billing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what guidance he has issued on how the amended Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 should comply with Directive 2011/7/EU in helping to combat late payments in commercial transactions.

Matthew Hancock: The Government issued guidance accompanying the statutory instrument (2013 no. 395) implementing the Late Payment Directive (2011/7/EU).   The guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/360834/bis-14-1116-a-users-guide-to-the-recast-late-payment-directive.pdf.

Arms Trade: Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what export licences for defence and strategic equipment to Israel (a) were applied for, (b) were granted and (c) are still being considered for (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15 to date.

Matthew Hancock: This department publishes export licensing statistics for each destination which includes a description and the value of the goods licensed for export. The information has been published since 1997 in the Government’s Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls. Since 2004, this information has also been published in Quarterly Reports. All the available statistics are accessible via the Strategic Export Controls: Reports and Statistics website – https://www.exportcontroldb.bis.gov.uk/eng/fox/sdb/SDBHOME. Details of export licences granted and refused for defence and strategic equipment to Israel is available in the published annual reports for the calendar years 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively. For 2014, only Quarter 1 (January to March 2014) data has so far been published. This department holds only limited information, for any given timeframe (annual or otherwise) relating to actual exports. In terms of export licence applications still being considered, there are currently, as of 3 October, 61 ‘live’ cases of goods intended for export to Israel. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria in light of the prevailing circumstances at the time of the application.

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2014 to Question 206108, whether UK law and export control regulations place any restrictions on allowing companies which have previously been ejected from the DSEI arms fair for selling equipment which could be used for torture to exhibit at future DSEI events in London, or whether that decision is entirely a matter for Clarion Events.

Matthew Hancock: Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) is a commercial exhibition run by Clarion Events. Any decision as to whether to allow a company that may have been ejected from a previous DSEI to exhibit at a future one is a matter for Clarion.   A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BIS and Clarion was set in place in 2013 to give Clarion the authority they need to control the activities of their exhibitors at DSEI. It sets out Clarion’s role and responsibilities, and those of the exhibitor companies, regarding UK export and trade control legislation.

British Business Bank

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted loans by the British Business Bank in the last year.

Matthew Hancock: The British Business Bank oversees the management of two loan programmes that can be accessed by small and medium–sized businesses seeking debt finance; Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) and Start-Up Loans (SUL).   EFG is delivered by participating lenders, including all the main high street banks, while SUL is delivered by a network of delivery partners contracted by the Start-Up Loans Company.   The delivery of both programmes is fully devolved to the participating lenders and for consistency they primarily report the numbers of loans offered or drawn rather than the number of applications received.   ProgrammeVolume of Loans drawn Barnsley EastVolume of Loans drawnSouth YorkshireVolume of Loans drawnEngland and WalesEFG2251520806Start Up Loans1232120435Total3483641241

Postal Services: Republic of Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current pricing structure of cross-border mail between the UK and Ireland.

Jo Swinson: The setting of postal prices, including prices for cross-border mail between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, is the direct responsibility of postal operators. It is for postal operators and other carriers to ensure that they offer cross-border services that meet the needs of postal users in Northern Ireland and that their services are competitively priced, while covering the costs of their respective operations.   Royal Mail, as the UK’s designated universal service provider, can negotiate suitable cross-border arrangements with the postal administration in the Republic of Ireland in the same way as it does for any other international destination, though its universal services must comply with the requirements of the Postal Services Directive on cross-border mail within the European Union and with Ofcom’s regulatory framework which sets parameters on pricing for universal postal services. Other carriers offering services between the UK and the Republic of Ireland are responsible for setting their own pricing structures in response to market pressures.   Royal Mail works closely with An Post to provide customers with a high-quality cross border postal service. A Consumer Focus NI report of March 2010 (http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/northern-ireland/publications/cross-border-post-improving-mail-services-between-northern-ireland-and-the-republic-of-ireland) found that on reliability 85% of consumers and 75% of businesses rated the cross-border services as good and that the service exceeded the EU performance targets of delivery within 3 days of posting in both directions.

Postal Services: Republic of Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total volume was of mail (a) dispatched to and (b) received from the Republic of Ireland in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: HM Government does not collect or hold data for cross-border post between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.   Data relating to the volumes of mail between the UK and the Republic of Ireland are subject to commercial confidentiality between the national postal operators, Royal Mail and An Post, and other carriers operating between the two countries.

Social Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of people earning less than the national minimum wage in the care sector in each year since 2010-11.

Jo Swinson: The current best estimate of non-compliance is published by the ONS in their low pay release[1], derived from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)[2]. Figures show that non-compliance in the care sector is actually lower than non-compliance in the general economy.   In 2011, 0.6% of employees were paid below the NMW in the care sector; compared to 0.8% in the whole economy.In 2012, 0.7% of employees were paid below the NMW in the care sector; compared to 0.9% in the whole economy.In 2013, 0.7% of employees were paid below the NMW in the care sector; compared to 0.8% in the whole economy.   This estimate, as well as all estimates of non-compliance, has some limitations. However, there are no reasons to suppose that these limitations affect the social care sector more or less than the economy as a whole.  [1] http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/low-pay/april-2011/stb-2011-low-pay-estimates.htmlhttp://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/low-pay/april-2012-results/stb-2012-low-pay-estimates.htmlhttp://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/low-pay/april-2013/stb-2013-low-pay-estimates.html [2] ASHE is a survey of employees completed by employers which we can use to look at workers earning at or below the NMW rate.

Social Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many employers in the care sector who failed to comply with the national minimum wage have been named to date.

Jo Swinson: The Government has not yet named any employers from the care sector.   We have already named 30 employers under the revised naming and shaming scheme, which came into effect in October 2013. Between them they owed workers over £50,000 in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling over £24,000. We will be naming more employers that fail to comply with National Minimum Wage regulations soon.

Post Boxes

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he was consulted on the decision to restrict the last collection time at Royal Mail post boxes to 9 am; and how many post boxes across the country are subject to this decision.

Jo Swinson: The Government does not have any role in Royal Mail’s operational decisions. Providing Royal Mail operate their services in compliance with the existing regulatory framework, as set down by Ofcom, decisions relating to their services can be made on operational grounds.   Royal Mail points out that the new arrangements relating to collections are needed in response to declining letter volumes which has left many post-boxes no longer covering their costs. Rather than decommission uneconomic post-boxes, the company is committed to ensuring their viability by improving the efficiency of collections arrangements.   Royal Mail have said that the majority of post-boxes will retain a 4pm or later final collection, as they have now, and they will ensure that there is a late-posting box within half a mile of each post-box that is restricted to earlier collections. The company is also aiming to boost public access to post-boxes in those areas around the country currently underserved with the addition of 2,000 new post-boxes. These will be targeted at rural areas, with a particular focus on Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as to areas of new development that are currently not served by a post-box. Some will be added in high footfall areas such as train stations and shopping centres. More information about Royal Mail’s post box network can be found on its website   (http://www.royalmail.com/personal/help-and-support/postboxes-faqs).

EU External Trade: Canada

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Government's representative at the meeting of the EU Trade Policy Committee on 12 September 2014 supported the European Commission's inclusion of the Investor-State Dispute Mechanism in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: BIS’s director with responsibility for trade and investment policy represented the UK at the Trade Policy Committee of 12 September 2014.The Government supports the inclusion of an Investor-State Dispute Settlement clause in CETA, as part of a significantly wider trade deal which could deliver economic benefits to the UK of up to £1.3 billion. The Government believes the negotiated text strikes an appropriate balance, ensuring a level of protection that would support investment between EU and Canada while also preserving the right of EU Member State governments to regulate in the public interest.

Apprentices: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that ethnic minority applicants for an apprenticeship are fairly treated; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Apprentices are real jobs and as such, employers who wish to recruit an apprentice have to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and other legislation, as they would when recruiting any other employee. The legislation seeks to prevent unfair discrimination on a number of grounds including race.   The Institute for Employment Studies carried out a review of ethnicity, gender and apprenticeships for the Skills Funding Agency in 2013. It explored employer practices for evidence of bias and made a number of recommendations many of which are being implemented.   The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has also recently established an apprenticeship equality advisory group to help increase apprenticeship diversity.

Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) female, (b) disabled, (c) black and minority ethnic and (d) other people have started on a traineeship in the last 12 months.

Nick Boles: We do not yet have final data on traineeship starts in the last 12 months (2013/14). The first release of this data will be in November 2014 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held.   After November 2014 we plan to release characteristics data in a supplementary table to the Statistical First Release.

Social Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that companies providing homecare services pay at least the minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and the effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.   The Government has collaborated with care sector representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage, in order to improve compliance.   Guidance on Gov.uk has been updated to make it as clear as possible that travel time and rest breaks between assignments must be paid at least the national Minimum Wage.   In addition, the Government will continue to work with the sector to ensure that understanding improves. This will include the Department of Health’s statutory guidance as part of the overall guidance on market shaping and commissioning, the final version of which will be published in Autumn 2014.

Electronic Commerce

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to encourage the uptake of (a) e-commerce and (b) other online tools among (i) businesses and (ii) consumers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is encouraging businesses to adopt digital technology by supporting the work of the digital charity Go On UK and other external partners to promote the benefits of digital and to improve basic online skills. The Government is also working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to expand digital support for businesses at a local level.  The Government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy, published earlier this year, sets out how the government and partners will help get people online.

Adult Education

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his Department has spent on adult skills in each year since 2010.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the adult skills budget has been in each year since 2010.

Nick Boles: The Adult Skills Budget (ASB) and ASB expenditure for financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15 are presented in Table 1.   Table 1: Adult Skills Budget (ASB) and Expenditure, 2010-11 to 2014-15 Financial YearASB BudgetASB expenditure per the Annual Report & Accounts £000£0002010-20112,942,7682,920,3062011-20122,677,9882,673,1362012-20132,581,4562,617,0642013-20142,438,6092,453,2312014-20152,240,415  Notes: 1) ASB expenditure per the Annual Report & Accounts excluding expenditure on Employer Ownership and Growth and Innovation Fund.2) Although expenditure was above budget in years 2012-13 to 2013-14 on Adult Skills, expenditure overall was within the total programme budget.3) For 2014-2015 the Annual budget has been provided, expenditure subject to completion of financial year and publication of the Annual Report & Accounts.

Accidents

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department maintains the (a) Home Accidents Deaths Database, (b) Home Accident Surveillance System and (c) Leisure Accidents Surveillance System.

Jo Swinson: Between 1978 and 2002 the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) (a predecessor of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS)) collated accident data via the Home Accident Surveillance System (HASS) and the Leisure Accident Surveillance System (LASS), two linked databases holding details of home and leisure accidents that caused a serious enough injury to warrant a visit to hospital. In 2003 the DTI announced it would no longer fund the collection and publication of HASS/LASS data. The historical data is currently held by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.   The Department did not collate The Home Accidents Deaths Database.

Wales Office

Infrastructure

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many copies of his Department's report, Building a more prosperous Wales: Infrastructure for a modern economy, were distributed; and what feedback he has received on that report.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what costs arose from the publication of his Department's report, Building a more prosperous Wales: Infrastructure for a modern economy.

Stephen Crabb: Copies of the report were circulated to the Wales Office Infrastructure Working Group and distributed at the Policy Forum for Wales event on 30 June. The report was also sent to the Welsh Affairs Committee. The report is available online in Welsh and English on gov.uk.Feedback on the report was positive, including from CBI Wales. The estimated cost for the publication of this report is £174.

Families

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech of 15 August 2011 calling for a family test to be applied to all domestic policy, which policies of his Department have been so assessed to date.

Stephen Crabb: On 18 August 2014, my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister announced that the family test was being formalised as part of the impact assessment for all domestic policies. From October 2014, every new domestic policy will be examined for its impact on the family.

Block Grant

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the real term change in the Welsh Government's block grant has been since the start of the current Parliament.

Stephen Crabb: We have taken the necessary decisions to restore this country to financial stability to deliver a brighter economic future.As a result of the positive Barnett consequentials the Welsh Government has received from our ongoing protections to UK health and schools budgets, the reductions to the Welsh Government’s block grant are less than the overall reductions for the whole UK Government and considerably less than the reductions for non-protected departments.The following details the changes to the Welsh Government’s block grant in real terms since the start of the current parliament.Welsh Government’s block grant, real terms percentage change per annum2010-11 to 2011-12 outturn: -5.12011-12 to 2012-13 outturn: -0.62012-13 to 2013-14 outturn: 0.42013-14 outturn to 2014-15 plans: -0.42014-15 plans to 2015-16 plans: -2.5

Performance Appraisal

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many officials in his Department completed the Civil Service Employment Policy Performance Management System in 2013-14; how many and what proportion of those officials received the (a) exceeded, (b) met and (c) must improve performance mark; and how many and what proportion (i) did and (ii) did not qualify for a bonus under that process.

Alun Cairns: All staff in the Wales Office including agency staff who had been in post for longer than a month participated in the completion of the Civil Service Employment Performance System in 2013-14. Of these (a) 14% received exceeded (b) 78% received met and (c) 8% received must improve performance marks; (i) 5% did and (ii) 95% did not qualify for a bonus.As some of the data relates to fewer than five staff, breaking the numbers down would risk the identification of individuals and so only percentages are provided.

Department for Education

Kings Free Schools and Academies Trust

Mr David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who the Chairs of Kings Free Schools and Academies Trust have been since its establishment; and on what dates each such Chair took took up and relinquished office.

Mr Edward Timpson: Our record of the dates each Chair of the board of trustees at Kings Science Academy took up and relinquished office is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287911/140113_graham_stuart_-revised_jb.pdf   From pre-opening to 30 September 2011, the Chair was Mr Nadim Qureshi. On 27 September 2011, the Department for Education was informed that Mr Alan Lewis would be the Chair from 1 October 2011. We learnt in October 2012 that we had been misinformed. This was looked at as part of the EFA’s wider investigation into financial management and governance at KSA in December 2012, which confirmed there had been no chair in place for the first year of the school’s operation.  From 25 October 2012 to 13 March 2013, the Chair was Dr Asim Suleman. From 13 March 2013 to 7 October 2013, Mr John Bowers was Acting Chair, and has been Chair from 7 October 2013.

Pay

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) direct employees, (b) outsourced workers and (c) workers in agencies which report to her Department are paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education and its executive agencies have no directly employed staff or agency workers paid below the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.   External contractors who provide facilities management services to the Department have confirmed that they have 146 staff paid under this rate. This includes 48 staff paid under the London Living Wage and 98 staff paid under the UK Living Wage. All contracted staff are paid above the minimum wage.

Academies: Sheffield

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what organisations she has approved to be potential sponsors of future sponsored academies in Sheffield.

Mr Edward Timpson: Prior to the creation of Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs), academy sponsors were approved on a national basis. From 1 September 2014, RSCs have been approving sponsors to operate in their region, on behalf of the Secretary of State. However, approval is not broken down beyond regional level.   A list of nationally approved sponsors, which includes all sponsors that have been approved in England, is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-sponsor-contact-list

Free Schools: Bradford

Mr David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department received an application from the Kings Free Schools and Academies Trust to establish a new free school in Milner Fields in Bradford.

Mr David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department received an application from the Kings Free Schools and Academies Trust to establish a new free school in Darnall, S9 in Sheffield; and if she will publish it.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has previously received applications from the Kings Free Schools and Academies Trust to establish free schools in Milner Fields, Bradford and Darnall, Sheffield.   Two applications were received in January 2012, during the third wave of applications. They were listed with all other applications received at this time in a list published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/name-local-authority-previous-school-name-and-faith-designation-of-applications-to-open-a-free-school-wave-3   The Department has no plans to publish the two applications.

Vaughan Primary School

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the planned local completion site visit to Vaughan School in the hon. Member for Harrow West's constituency by the Education Funding Agency on 22 September 2014 was cancelled at less than a working day's notice; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Education Funding Agency is procuring a significant number of school building projects. The release of projects to the market must be managed to ensure strong competition and value for money for the public purse.   The Education Funding Agency felt that it would be prudent to allow some additional time for the market to respond to the project to rebuild Vaughan School in Harrow.   The site visit was held on Thursday 2 October and the Education Funding Agency has set out a programme aimed at opening the new school by the end of 2015, earlier than originally planned.

Children: Protection

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to expand prevention services in relation to child maltreatment; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Government’s statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, revised last year, is clear about the importance that we attach to preventative services. Providing help early, before issues and problems escalate, is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later. The guidance sets out that local agencies should work together to put processes in place for the effective assessment of the needs of individual children who may benefit from early help services. Decisions about the provision of services, including preventative, early help services, are taken locally by agencies that are best placed to plan provision, taking account of local needs and circumstances. The Government has also established an Early Intervention Foundation. The Foundation is funded by the Department for Education, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health, and the Department for Communities and Local Government. It is intended to operate independently of central government, to support the needs of commissioners in implementing early intervention programmes and practice in their local areas. The Foundation was established as an independent charity on 4 July 2013.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the ability of safeguarding children boards to adequately monitor and hold to account children's safeguarding services in local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Edward Timpson: Ofsted reviews the effectiveness of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) under its Single Framework for Inspection. In doing do it evaluates the extent to which the LSCB is meeting its statutory functions. These statutory functions include monitoring the effectiveness of each body represented on the LSCB, including local authorities. Ofsted has reported on 33 local authorities and LSCBs to date, of which 11 LSCBs have been assessed as good, 15 as requiring improvement, and seven as inadequate.

Children: Neurofibromatosis

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department gives to schools on the relative risk of pupils with neurofibromatosis 1 also having autism or attention deficit disorder.

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools are aware of social, psychological and health problems that pupils with neurofibromatosis 1 may encounter; and what guidance her Department gives to schools to ensure that pupils with that and other genetic conditions receive adequate support to ensure that they do not feel socially excluded.

Mr Edward Timpson: A new duty was introduced on 1 September 2014 for governing bodies to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance, which came into force on the same date. The guidance focuses on the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts on school life. We would expect those arrangements to apply to pupils suffering from neurofibromatosis. The guidance advocates the use of individual healthcare plans, which may include details of associated conditions, and the support required for their wider educational, social and emotional needs.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many multi-academy trusts do not have at least two parent directors; and under what circumstances such an arrangement is permitted.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many multi-academy trusts have chosen to establish an advisory body for one or more schools in that trust and not a local governing body.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many multi-academy trusts have resolved not to have a local governing body or an academy governing body for each school in that trust.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend the articles of association of each academy established prior to September 2010 so that each such academy has at least two parent directors.

Mr Edward Timpson: The governance arrangements for each academy trust are set out in their articles of association. Multi-academy trusts have the freedom to establish the most effective governance structure to support and drive high performance in their schools. The trust board may choose to delegate responsibilities to local governing bodies, which may cover one or more schools within the trust, or may establish local bodies on an advisory basis. Arrangements below the level of the trust board are a matter for trusts to decide on. The Department for Education does not hold information on the numbers of multi-academy trusts adopting different approaches to governance at school level.   Parents have an important role in academy governance. The Department’s current model articles of association require that there should be a minimum of two parents either on the multi-academy trust board or on each local governing body.  We encourage academy trusts, including those established before September 2010, to review their governance arrangements regularly, and to consider moving onto the Department’s updated model articles.

Pre-school Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether every four-year-old in England is entitled to full-time education.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The procedures for admission to education of children below compulsory school age are described in the School Admissions Code. The code states that admission authorities must provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. However, parents can request that the date their child is admitted to school is deferred until later in the academic year or until the term in which the child reaches compulsory school age. Parents can also request that their child takes up the place part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age. The Department for Education has recently consulted on changes to the School Admissions Code, including making it more explicit that children are entitled to a full time place in the September following their fourth birthday. We plan to publish a revised code in December 2014.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the ratio of prison officers to inmates in prisons in England and Wales was, by category of prison, in each of the last five years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the ratio of prison officers to inmates in prison in England and Wales was, by prison establishment, in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: Staffing levels are being reviewed prison by prison as part of a ‘benchmarking approach’. Benchmarking has been agreed with the unions and the NAO has commented that the wider strategy for the prison estate is the most coherent and comprehensive for many years. It delivers efficiencies while ensuring that public sector prisons operate safely, decently and securely. Benchmarking optimises the skills of staff by introducing new ways of working and puts all prison officers in prisoner facing roles. The information requested has been placed in the library and extends the table provided to the honourable member for Tooting on 4 Mar 2014, Official Report, 805W. The tables include both public and private sector establishments. Figures are not however comparable across public and private sector establishments. There is no comparison within Private Sector Prisons for Prison Officer Specialists. Functions carried out by badged officers vary, particularly across private prisons, relating to whether functions are civilianised, contracted out, or performed by badged officers.

Prisoners: Clothing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on the wearing of the (a) niqab and (b) burka during interaction with (i) probation and (ii) prison officers.

Simon Hughes: Prison Service Instruction 51/2011: Faith and Pastoral Care of Prisoners outlines the policy regarding prisoners’ access to religious dress and possession of religious artefacts: http://www.justice.gov.uk/offenders/psis/prison-service-instructions-2011 There is no national policy regarding the wearing of religious dress or artefacts while an individual is in contact with the Probation Service.

Employment Tribunals Service

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for remissions relating to fees for employment tribunal proceedings have been (a) made and (b) awarded in each month since July 2013; and what has been the (i) average cost of assessing each claim and (ii) total aggregate cost to the public purse of making such assessments.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Employment tribunal remission data extracted in its current form from HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) systems has not yet been assured to sufficient standards to provide the number of remission applications received, subsequently awarded, in full or partial. The number of awards each month is available from financial information relating to fees and remissions in the employment tribunals system published by HMCTS in its Annual Report and Accounts. The number awarded each month from July 2013 to June 2014, the most recently published reporting period, is shown below: Employment Tribunal (ET)Remission Volumes1DateET Remission VolumesJuly 20131August 201392September 2013107October 2013261November 2013193December 2013144January 2014379February 2014114March 20147532013/14 Total2044April 2014503May 2014754June 2014612July 2013 to June 2014 Total3,913 1Timing differences exist between data uploaded to the finance system and data entered at source within employment tribunals fees systems. The monthly profile shown here reflects the date remissions were recorded on the finance system. This may not reflect the date on which remission applications were received or processed. The year end total for remissions granted is materially accurate. The Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14 was published in June 2014 on the Ministry of Justice website and can be found at:http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/hmcts. The Employment Tribunals Fees & Remission case management system records fees paid and remissions awarded and was introduced in July 2013. However, the system does not record the amount of time for assessing each individual fee remission and it is not, therefore, possible to calculate the average and total aggregate costs.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support his Department gives to private citizens who take legal action against electoral registration officers who do not conduct door-to-door canvassing of those households that do not return electoral registration forms.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Cabinet Office has responsibility for electoral policy.The Ministry of Justice provides no such support.

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many summary convictions there were for misuse of class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs under sections 4(2&3), 5(2&3), 6(2), 8, 9, 9(A), 11(2), 12(6), 13(3), 17(3), 17(4), 18(1-4), 20 and 23(4) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in each of the last four years; how many people who were fined were fined the maximum amount stipulated for those offences; how many people who were imprisoned were imprisoned for the maximum sentence stipulated for those offences; and how much was raised in fines from those convicted in each year.

Mike Penning: Fines imposed in individual cases are entirely a matter for the independent courts within the limits set by Parliament and following any relevant sentencing guidelines. The law requires that the amount of any fine must reflect both the seriousness of the offence and the known financial circumstances of the offender. HM Courts and Tribunals Service takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on fine defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. The courts have a range of powers to enforce payment of fines, including the use of bailiffs to seize goods, and deductions from earnings or benefits. Over recent years we have overseen improvements to the collection of financial penalties. There was a total of £290m collected against fines and related impositions in 2013/14 which was a record high and 2% more than the previous year. We will continue to do all it can to prevent people from using drugs in the first place and intervene early with those who start to develop problems with a particular focus on enabling local commissioners to deliver local services. The Home Office are investing in a range of programmes which have a positive impact on young people and adults, giving them the confidence, resilience and risk management skills to resist drug use. This includes continuing to update our drug awareness service, FRANK, so that young people are aware of the harms of both controlled drugs and the risks associated with uncontrolled new psychoactive substances (or ‘legal highs’). In addition, by focusing their attention on those individuals who are at most risk of misusing drugs, the Home Office have provided targeted interventions to engage with them at the earliest opportunity. This includes investing in local services to respond to local need through the introduction of a £2 billion Early Intervention Grant for local authorities. The Home Office have also developed tools for commissioners that include an Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service (ADEPIS) that is providing practical advice and tools based on the best international evidence. The number of offenders convicted at the magistrates' courts for selected offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2013 (the latest data available) can be viewed in table 1 below. The number of offenders sentenced at all courts to the maximum custodial sentence for selected drug offences, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2013 (the latest data available) can be viewed in table 2 below. Data relating to the maximum fine at crown court cannot be determined as the maximum amount of fine for misuse of drug class A, class B and class C is of unlimited amount. It is not possible to identify how much has been collected against fines imposed for specific offences without carrying out a manual search of all fine account records held by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. This information could therefore only be provided at disproportionate cost. 



Misuse of drugs offences
(Excel SpreadSheet, 36 KB)

Offences against Children

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women convicted of sexual activity with a child received a prison sentence in each of the last five years; and what the average prison sentence was for (i) men and (ii) women.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) men and (b) women convicted of sexual activity with a child received (i) a conditional discharge, (ii) a fine, (iii) a community order and (iv) a suspended prison sentence in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: All sexual offences are abhorrent and the most serious offences carry severe maximum penalties. The average custodial sentence length for all sexual offences has increased from 49.3 months in 2009 to 59.1 months in 2013, and between 2011 and 2013 the average custodial sentence length for rape of a child under 13 has increased from 108.6 months to 134.1 months (female victims) and from 103.3 months to 129 months (male victims) . This Government has also introduced an automatic life sentence for a second very serious sexual, or violent, offence and is legislating to end automatic early release for all dangerous offenders.There is a range of offences covering sexual activity with a child (which does not include rape) the most serious of which has a maximum penalty of 14 years’ custody. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts, which must follow sentencing guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The Council recently issued a new sentencing guideline on sexual offences, following full public consultation. As well as physical harm, the new approach in the guideline will reflect more fully the psychological and longer term effects on the victim, enabling courts to take into account the true extent of what the victim has been through. No women have been convicted of these particular offences from 2009 to 2013. Data for those adult male offenders found guilty and sentenced at all courts for sexual activity with a child in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013 is available in the public domain as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics annual publication. The link below accesses a table labelled as ‘CJS outcomes by offence, 2009 to 2013’.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013The custody rate for the offence can be viewed in the table below.



Custody rates for male offenders 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23 KB)

Prisons: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to engage with the voluntary sector in connection with the running of the new prison in North Wales.

Andrew Selous: The decision as to who will operate the prison in North Wales has yet to be made. Once a provider has been identified it will be expected that their plans for operation will include the involvement of the voluntary sector and other providers to maximise rehabilitative opportunities for offenders.Although a decision has not been made on the operator, discussions have taken place with PACT (Prisoner Advice and Care Trust), the voluntary sector umbrella group which focuses on the children and families of prisoners, to inform the design of visits areas and other aspects of the build which have implications for children and families.

Prisons: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how he plans to monitor and assess the benefit to North Wales of the construction of a prison in North Wales.

Andrew Selous: Under the contractual arrangements in place, Lend Lease are required to report to the MoJ how much of the contract is being spent with companies within a 25 and 50 mile radius of the prison site. In addition Lend Lease has committed to spending £30 million with local businesses and that 50% of the entire workforce will be recruited from within a 50 mile radius. Lend Lease will report against these targets and the MoJ will monitor these accordingly. The North Wales Prison Employment, Skills and Engagement Committee is also being created to focus on enabling the delivery of apprenticeships, training and local employment and work placement days.

Prisoners: Marriage

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many marriages have taken place in which one of the couple was in prison in each year since 2010.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many marriages between two prisoners have taken place in each year since 2010.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil partnerships have taken place in which one partner was in prison in each year since 2010.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil partnerships between two prisoners have taken place in each year since 2010.

Andrew Selous: Information about the number of marriages or civil partnerships involving prisoners since 2010 is not held centrally.Prisons are not required to keep records of marriages or civil partnerships involving prisoners. To provide the information requested would require each prison to identify every prisoner held since 2010 and to search the files to establish if they had married or entered a civil partnership. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2014 to Question 202937, when he expects to provide the information requested.

Andrew Selous: I wrote to the honourable member on 25 September 2014 replying to Questions 202936, 202937 and 202938.

Prisons: Homicide

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent National Offender Management Service report on homicides in prisons.

Andrew Selous: In December 2013 the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman published a Lessons Learned Bulletin on Prison Homicides, a copy of which I have placed in the Library. We are committed to reducing the number of deaths in prisons and strenuous efforts are made to learn from each one. All apparent homicides in prison are subject to a police investigation and an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and a Coroners inquest if there remains a need for this following the conclusion of any criminal proceedings. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) carefully considers the findings and recommendations from these investigations and disseminates the learning from them.

Courts: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officers in his Department received on the court reform programme.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Since March 2013, Ministers and Departmental officials have been engaging with a range of partners, stakeholders and external organisations to develop proposals for the HMCTS Reform programme. This has included regular meetings with other government departments and the senior judiciary.

Courts: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria his Department's court reform programme uses to determine the case for court rebuilding works; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Courts & Tribunals Service Reform will enable the delivery of an efficient and high performing courts and tribunals service that will meet the needs and expectations of 21st century court users. Investment decisions will be considered to ensure they offer long term value for money for taxpayers and provide services for court and tribunal users, in particular victims, witnesses and vulnerable users.

Children: Privacy

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department last reviewed the laws protecting children from press intrusion; and if he will commission such a review before the end of the present Parliament.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Under the civil law, a claim may be brought to protect the privacy of children under the tort of misuse of private information. Remedies available include damages for the breach of privacy and an injunction to prevent any further publication. While the publication of images of children without parental consent is not itself a criminal offence, a number of criminal offences exist dealing with specific circumstances - for example the taking, distributing, publishing and possession with a view to distribution of any indecent photograph of a child under 18 is an offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978. The civil and criminal law generally is kept under review to ensure that it is appropriate.

Courts: Crimes of Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of violence were recorded in (a) magistrates' courts and (b) Crown courts in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The number of violent incidents reported in Magistrates Courts and Crown Courts, are as follows:  Magistrates CourtCrown Court2010/2011107232011/2012112112012/201383172013/20149121 The Ministry of Justice takes the security of all court users seriously and it is the policy of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) that all security incidents are reported and investigated. All incidents involving violence are reported to the police for further investigation. The figures provided comprise reported incidents from the reporting years April to March and resulting in actual violence and include incidents between and against parties, court users and court staff and contractors. These figures do not include incidents of verbal abuse or verbal threats as they do not fall within the remit of the request.

Trials

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of trial outcomes were (a) effective, (b) ineffective and (c) cracked in each year from 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The proportion of trials that were (a) effective, (b) ineffective and (c) cracked in each year from 2010 for the magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court are available in Tables 3.4 and 3.6 respectively of the Court Statistics Quarterly Publication. Link to the tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/323503/court-statistics-main-tables-jan-mar-2014.xls

Minimum Wage

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many companies have been successfully taken to tribunal by employees for not complying with minimum wage legislation in each of the last nine years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Courts & Tribunal Service does not collate the information requested. This information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost by manually checking individual tribunal files.

Children: Privacy

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what meetings he has had with children's privacy campaigners in the last 12 months.

Simon Hughes: The Justice Secretary has not met with any children’s privacy campaigners in the past 12 months.

Legal Aid Scheme: South Yorkshire

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have received legal aid in each constituency in South Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not record the number of people who receive legal aid. Instead it records the number of ‘acts of assistance’. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.With regard to the breakdowns requested for each constituency in South Yorkshire, the LAA cannot separately identify legal aid cases by the location of the person receiving legal aid. Applicant post codes are not systematically recorded against Legal Aid cases.

Performance Appraisal

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officials in his Department who received the (a) exceeded, (b) met and (c) must improve performance mark under the Civil Service Employment Policy Performance Management System (i) had a disability, (ii) worked full-time and (iii) worked part-time in 2013-14.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Staff in the Department are currently compiling this data and it will be published on the MoJ website once available. I will write to the Rt. Hon member when the data is available.

Ministry of Defence

Families

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech of 15 August 2011 calling for a family test to be applied to all domestic policy, which policies of his Department have been so assessed to date.

Anna Soubry: On 18 August 2014 the Prime Minister announced that the family test was being formalised as part of the impact assessment for all domestic policies. From October 2014, every new domestic policy will be examined for its impact on the family.

Members: Correspondence

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects to reply to the letter dated 1 April 2014 from the hon. Member for York Outer to the Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans concerning the Justice for Forces Widows Campaign.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces Covenant: South West

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which organisations in the South West received funding from the Veterans Accommodation Fund in 2014.

Anna Soubry: The £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund received over £163 million worth of applications from across the UK. To date nine successful projects, in the South East, Scotland and Wales, worth £22 million have been announced. We expect to make further announcements over the coming months.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former members of the (a) Sea Cadets, (b) Army Cadet Force, (c) Air Training Corps and (d) Combined Cadet Force subsequently joined the armed forces in financial years 2005-06 and 2013-14.

Anna Soubry: This information is not routinely recorded, however, between 2011 and 2014, on average, 24% of respondents (Officers and Other Ranks) to the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey stated that they had previous service in the Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Force or Air Training Corps. Over the same period an average of 20% of Officer respondents stated that they had previous service in the Combined Cadet Force.

Afghanistan

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2014, Official Report, column 687W, on Afghanistan, what proportion of battle damage assessments are carried out from the air.

Mr Mark Francois: I am withholding the requested information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Scout vehicles built under contract by General Dynamics will be built in that company's (a) UK factories and (b) Spanish factories; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The first 100 of the 589 Scout Specialist Vehicles will be built in Spain with 60% of the value of each vehicle sourced from the UK supply chain. The Ministry of Defence is now actively considering options for building the remaining vehicles in Spain or the UK.

Afghanistan

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 April 2014 to Question 194985, whether the Government has had any discussions with the government of Afghanistan about future basing of UK unmanned aircraft systems in that country since April 2014.

Mr Mark Francois: No.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 601W, on Trident, how much his Department has spent to date on studies of whether to refurbish or replace the existing Trident warhead design.

Mr Philip Dunne: The total spent on studies to inform the decision on whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead during the period until 30 September 2014 comprises £72.9 million on technology studies to support refurbishment of the current system and explore options for a potential future warhead; and £4.6 million on studies to support the decision whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead.

Ministry of Defence Police

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of posts at the Ministry of Defence Police complement at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield, are currently vacant.

Anna Soubry: I am withholding information about vacant Ministry of Defence Police posts at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield, for the purposes of safeguarding national security.

Marchwood Military Port

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the organisations interested in leasing the Sea Monitoring Centre site at Marchwood in New Forest East constituency have been issued with his Department's invitation to negotiate; and what his policy is on the circumstances under which issues of commercial confidentiality inhibit revealing information.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has issued five Invitations To Negotiate in relation to the granting of a concession for Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre. However, in keeping with previous practice, I have concluded that at this stage the interests of the transaction are best served by keeping confidential the identity of those participating parties.

Philippines

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was to his Department of Operation Patwin, by (a) humanitarian supplies delivered by ship, (b) non-physical humanitarian support and (c) all other costs.

Mr Mark Francois: The costs for Operation PATWIN were borne by the Department for International Development.

Public Records

Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what targets have been set for the release of his Department's material to the National Archives; what progress has been made in meeting those targets; and how many staff in his Department are engaged in reviewing records for that purpose.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has set a target of preparing 10,000 records for transfer to The National Archives in the period 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015. As at 1 October 2014 the MOD has prepared over 5,000 records, and is on course to achieve 10,000 by 31 March 2015. There are 14 Departmental staff engaged in the review, selection and release of MOD records to The National Archives.

Israel Defence Forces

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what military training the UK armed forces have (a) received from and (b) provided to the Israeli Defence Force in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how often the medical criteria used for recruitment into the Armed Forces is reviewed.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Medical Employment Standards Working Group (MESWG) is a body composed of specialist occupational physicians from all three Services which meets at least six times a year, keeping military medical standards for recruits under regular periodic review.Recent medical policy changes, for example, include relaxing the dental criteria for recruitment and the policy on Asperger’s, allowing a minimal degree of relaxation for those candidates who do not display classic symptoms of the syndrome or where their diagnosis may be in doubt.

Pirtek

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent representations he has received on equipment supplied to his Department by Pirtek UK Ltd; what investigation his Department is undertaking as a result of those representations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: I have received the hon. Member’s correspondence on equipment supplied to the Ministry of Defence by Pirtek UK Ltd. The relevant team is investigating the issues raised and I will respond in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

Unemployment Benefits

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have taken part in the mandatory attendance centre pilot announced in October 2013.

Esther McVey: The Supervised Jobsearch Pilot started on 6 October 2014 and runs until the end of March 2015. We are not in a position to provide information on how many claimants have taken part to date. We will be collecting robust monitoring information as part of this trial as well as an externally contracted evaluation. An externally published research report on the pilots is planned for Autumn 2015.

Work Programme

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2014 to Question 207491, whether second attachment fees will be paid for people transferred from Newcastle College to new providers; and whether the cost of those fees will be borne by his Department.

Esther McVey: Second “Attachment Fees” will not be paid for participants transferred to the new provider in CPA18. However, to ensure that existing Work Programme participants transferring to this new contract are engaged and receive meaningful support swiftly, the overall funding for this procurement includes the option of a limited transfer fee.

Employment and Support Allowance

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of applicants for employment and support allowance in (a) England and Wales, (b) South Yorkshire, (c) Barnsley Local Authority and (d) Barnsley East constituency who do not receive a decision within the target waiting time of 35 days; and what steps he is taking to expedite such applications.

Mr Mark Harper: There is not a target 35 day waiting time for Employment and Support Allowance claims to be decided. The Department has taken action to reduce waiting times by:Agreeing the exit of ATOS and procurement of a new providerSuspending routine repeat assessments

Employment Schemes

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people referred to the Help to Work scheme are (a) on a community work placement, (b) attending the jobcentre every day and (c) receiving intensive jobcentre support since April 2014.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people referred to the Help to Work scheme who (a) participated in a community work placement, (b) attended the jobcentre every day and (c) received intensive jobcentre support have moved into employment since April 2014.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) been referred to and (b) participated in the Help to Work scheme since April 2014.

Esther McVey: The information is not readily available. The Department works to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on sanctioning employment and support allowance claimants who have a mental health condition or learning difficulty.

Esther McVey: We do not sanction employment and support allowance claimants for not finding work and will not require them to apply for or take up specific jobs. Sanctions are only imposed where a claimant does not engage with the support on offer. A claimant’s medical circumstances are taken into account when considering requiring them to undertake a specific activity and claimants are encouraged to discuss the impact of their condition on their support needs. We continue to ensure that claimants’ circumstances are carefully considered before imposing any sanction, and to maintain the safeguards which are already in place to prevent the unfair use of sanctions. We would not sanction vulnerable claimants such as those with learning difficulties or mental health conditions without making every effort to contact them or their carer/healthcare professional first.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether jobseeker's allowance claimants who are required to attend the jobcentre daily will be provided with help for their travel expenses.

Esther McVey: Where it is considered that the claimant will benefit from daily contact with the Work Coach to assist with their job search then Jobcentre Plus will provide travel costs where appropriate.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2014 to Question 207549, if his Department will publish the number of employment and support allowance claims which are awaiting action by (a) a work capability assessment provider and (b) his Department.

Mr Mark Harper: As at 31 August 2014 there were: Around 616,000 cases awaiting work capability assessments at Atos Healthcare (down from 637,000 at the end of July). These figures do not include cases where the claimant has yet to return the claimant questionnaire;Around 39,000 cases awaiting work capability assessment decisions by the Department for Work and Pensions. These figures are based on un-validated operational management information and are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Pay

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) direct employees, (b) outsourced workers and (c) workers in agencies which report to his Department are paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Steve Webb: a) All staff directly employed by DWP are paid above the Living Wage.b) Following the introduction of the London Living Wage by our Facilities Management contractor, Telereal Trillium, the total number of our contractors and their service partners in receipt of less than the living wage has reduced to 4,493.c) The total number of staff in arm’s length bodies in receipt of less than the living wage is 9. Those in receipt of less than the living wage are employed by Remploy who have a total headcount of 1097 (based on March 2014 figures).

Employment and Support Allowance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work capability assessments for employment and support allowance have been cancelled with (a) one week's and (b) two weeks' notice in (i) Warrington, (ii) the North West and (iii) England.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appointments for work capability assessments were cancelled by Atos in July this year.

Mr Mark Harper: These figures are not routinely supplied to DWP.

Employment and Support Allowance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of applicants for employment and support allowance who have had their benefit stopped for failing to attend a work capability assessment and who claim not to have received an appointment letter from Atos; and how many such cases have been submitted to a tribunal.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department does not hold the information described and therefore I cannot provide an estimate.

Remploy

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a breakdown of how the £15 million extension to Access to Work funding announced in 2012 to help Remploy factory workers being laid off find alternative work has been used.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what increase there has been to the overall Access to Work budget as a result of Remploy factory closures since 2012.

Mr Mark Harper: In response to the Sayce review recommendations, the Government committed to spending an extra £15m on Access to Work by the end of this Spending Review period and this commitment has already been delivered. In 2011/12 the Department spent £93m on Access to Work, in 2012/13 £95m and by 2013/14 this had increased to £108m. Separately, the Government agreed an £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package to provide a maximum of 18 months specialist support to help disabled people made redundant as a result of Remploy factory closures.

Remploy

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former Remploy factory workers laid off since 2012 are (a) in full-time employment, (b) in part-time employment, (c) retired, (d) employed on zero-hour contracts, (e) volunteering, (f) in lower-paid employment than at the time they were employed by Remploy and (g) not in work, by impairment type.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of what the £8 million package of support for former Remploy factory workers announced in 2012 has achieved in employment outcomes for those former workers directly affected.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled former Remploy factory workers are in receipt of (a) employment support allowance and (b) jobseeker's allowance.

Mr Mark Harper: For all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures, the Government put in place the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP). The support package provides help to each affected disabled former employee for up to 18 months from the date they left Remploy. The PHSP provides help for each affected disabled individual to adjust to life outside of Government funded supported employment and to find alternative mainstream employment. The support provided through PHSP includes access to a Personal Case Worker and a personal budget. The support does not stop once the 18 months period is complete and former Remploy employees who still need help will continue to receive the specialist employment support available to all disabled people looking for a job. In most cases this will include continuation of support from the same adviser. The Department has asked all disabled former employees made redundant from Remploy to give permission to be tracked, and the Department can only monitor the progress and outcomes of those individuals that have given permission. Latest figures show that 1,507 disabled former Remploy workers are choosing to work with our personal case workers to find another job and 774 are currently in work. 389 former Remploy disabled employees are in receipt of employment support allowance, 345 are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance, 382 confirmed their intention to retire and 774 are currently in work. Our records of former Remploy disabled employees currently in work only show individuals who are in employment of 16 hours or more and do not indicate the type of employment, or whether it is permanent, fixed term, temporary or voluntary. The Department does not keep a record of impairment type.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average age is of people in receipt of employment and support allowance entering (a) the Work Programme and (b) employment through the Work Programme.

Esther McVey: The information requested is shown in the table below.   Number of Work Programme Referrals, Job Outcomes and Sustained Job Outcomes for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants by median age, Great Britain: 1 June 2011 - 30 June 2014ReferralsJob OutcomeSustained Job OutcomesMedian Age (years) 444040 Source: DWP Statistical Services   Notes: The latest Official Statistics on the Work Programme cover the period 1 June 2011 – 30 June 2014 2. Median age is the age of the claimant at the time of referral. Referrals: Referrals shown are 'net' referrals which do not include rejections, cancellations or referrals to ESA information sessions.Job Outcomes: The Work Programme IT payment system update went live in April 2012. All outcomes prior to this were recorded clerically and uploaded to the system during April and May 2012. The outcome date for these is based on the date the information was uploaded to the system. For job outcomes recorded after this, outcome dates are based on the date that payments were made to providers following pre-payment validation processes to confirm job outcomes. The manual pre-payment validation checks may take time to conduct resulting in a delay between the job outcome being claimed and the date the payment is made to providers, and hence recorded in the statistics. Validation procedures continue to improve to streamline the process as issues are identified. For further details around issues and delays to job outcome payments please see the information note available on the WP landing page: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/work-programme-statistics--2Sustained Job Outcomes: These are claimants who have received a Job Outcome payment and have had at least 1 Sustainment payment.Sustainment payments: Providers can only claim a Sustainment payment where:A Job Outcome has been reported;Four continuous weeks in employment have elapsed between the Job Outcome payment date and the Sustainment payment date, or between the previous Sustainment payment date and the current Sustainment payment date.A participant has been in employment and off benefit each week (a week is defined as a 7 day period) in the four week period; and15 working days have passed since the last date of the period being claimed.Following a break in employment after the 104 weeks Allotted Time providers will no longer be eligible to receive a Sustainment payment (a break is defined as when a participant leaves employment for 2 days or more, even if they remain off benefit).

State Retirement Pensions

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women aged 65 (i) receive and (ii) do not receive additional state pension after a contracted-out deduction is applied.

Steve Webb: The number of men aged 65 who receive additional State Pension after a contracted-out deduction is applied, as at September 2013, is 194,900. The number of women aged 65 who receive additional State Pension after a contracted-out deduction is applied, as at September 2013, is 158,200. The number of men aged 65 who do not receive additional State Pension after a contracted-out deduction is applied, as at September 2013, is 37,700. The number of women aged 65 who do not receive additional State Pension after a contracted-out deduction is applied, as at September 2013, is 8,800.  The answer covers additional State Pension and the CoD from 1978-97 only, which is the period for which contracted out deductions applied. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information, Exploitation and Security Directorate, 5% sample. Notes:These figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.The 5% sample data provides some detail not available from the 100% data sources. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, the proportions derived should be applied to the overall 100% total for the benefit. Figures have been adjusted in line with 100% data.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the proposed evaluation of the Work Programme will address its performance in respect of ethnic minority groups.

Esther McVey: DWP has commissioned a comprehensive evaluation conducted by independent researchers. This evaluation covers large scale surveys with Work Programme participants which includes representation from ethnic minority groups. Official statistics published on Work Programme performance covers a breakdown by ethnicity of participants.

Unemployment Benefits

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants leaving unemployment to obtain a job return to claim out-of-work benefits within (a) 13 weeks and (b) six months.

Esther McVey: The specific information requested is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, the 2011 destinations survey found that of those leaving JSA for a job, 75% were still in work after 7-8 months: 58% in the same job, 13% having moved directly to a new job and 4% having spent time unemployed in the interim. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/destinations-of-jobseekers-allowance-income-support-and-employment-and-supportallowance-leavers-2011-rr791Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No 791 “Destinations of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance Leavers 2011”Lorna Adams, Katie Oldfield, Catherine Riley and Andrew Skone James

Access to Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the statement in his Department's press release of 9 December 2013 that hundreds of people would benefit from the extension of Access to Work to cover work placements, how many people have so benefited to date; and what data his Department collects to enable assessment of the effects of the changes to the scheme.

Mr Mark Harper: We do not hold official statistics for these figures. DWP publishes an annual report regarding all of the operations for the previous operational year in July, so the next publication will be July 2015. Access to Work supported 35,450 disabled people to keep or get employment during 2013/14 (up from 31,510 in 2012/13)

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of employment and support allowance referred to the Work Programme since June 2011 have had (a) a mental and behavioural disorder and (b) a disease of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue as their primary impairment; and how many such people have achieved in each category a sustained job outcome.

Esther McVey: The information requested is given in the table below. Number of Work Programme Referrals and Sustained Job Outcomes for claimants in the requested main diagnosis groups for those in the Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Payment Groups: 1 June 2011 – 30 June 2014  ReferralsSustained Job OutcomesESA customer groups total276,67016,530Mental and Behavioural Disorders147,7907,550Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue39,1302,150Other/Missing89,7506,820  Source: DWP Statistical Services Notes:1. Figures are cumulative and are rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding.Referrals: Referrals shown are 'net' referrals which do not include rejections, cancellations or referrals to ESA information sessions.Sustained Job Outcomes: These are the number of claimants who have received a Job Outcome payment and have had at least 1 Sustainment payment.Sustainment payments: Providers can only claim a Sustainment payment where:A Job Outcome has been reported;Four continuous weeks in employment have elapsed between the Job Outcome payment date and the Sustainment payment date, or between the previous Sustainment payment date and the current Sustainment payment date.A participant has been in employment and off benefit each week (a week is defined as a 7 day period) in the four week period; and15 working days have passed since the last date of the period being claimed.Following a break in employment after the 104 weeks Allotted Time providers will no longer be eligible to receive a Sustainment payment (a break is defined as when a participant leaves employment for 2 days or more, even if they remain off benefit).5. ICD (disease) code causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. Medical condition is based on evidence provided at the start of the claim, this in itself does not confer entitlement to ESA and may not represent a claimants most recent medical condition.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people in work aged (a) 18, (b) 19, (c) 20, (d) 21, (e) 22, (f) 23 and (g) 24 who will be eligible for universal credit.

Mr Mark Harper: Of those individuals in work, we estimate that around 500,000 under 25 year olds will be in receipt of UC once it is fully rolled out. Individual year breakdowns are not available. This estimate is based on the Policy Simulation Model using the Family Resources Survey 2010/11 and assumptions consistent with the Budget 2014 forecast.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, under what circumstances a person under 25 on an apprenticeship will be eligible for Universal Credit.

Mr Mark Harper: People aged 18 or over on apprenticeships will be eligible for Universal Credit if they satisfy the normal conditions of entitlement. Young people aged 16 and 17 will not normally be able to claim Universal Credit, but there are some limited exceptional circumstances where they may do so, for example where they themselves are responsible for a child, have limited capability for work or are without parental support.

Work Experience

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on the Work Experience scheme.

Esther McVey: Latest data shows that from January 2011 to May 2014, 238,210 people of all ages started a work experience opportunity, of which 196,600 were aged between 18 and 24. Our evaluation shows that work experience is a popular and valuable scheme, particularly for young people – evaluation of ‘Customer experience of the Youth Contract’ found that 74 per cent customers said they gained skills during their placement and 83 per cent said they felt more attractive to employers.

Industrial Health and Safety

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to contribute to the European Commission's review of health and safety policy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: The government is actively contributing to the European Commission’s review of EU health and safety regulation. The United Kingdom, like other member states, has submitted a report on implementation of the directives under review. I am arranging for deposit of the report with the library of the House. In its engagement with the Commission and other participants in the review, the government is arguing for a more proportionate, risk-based approach to occupational health and safety issues to help business by reducing administrative burdens whilst maintaining necessary protections for workers.

Personal Independence Payment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which disability living allowance payments have ceased before personal independence payment is received; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people are not left without either benefit.

Mr Mark Harper: No such estimate has been made. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants who comply with the processes when claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) continue to receive their DLA up to, and for 28 days beyond the decision on their PIP claim.

Funeral Payments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the value of help for funeral costs is calculated; what factors those calculations take into account; and what account is taken in such calculations of the income of the next of kin.

Steve Webb: The value of help for funeral costs is calculated to cover the necessary costs of: a new burial plot with all necessary burial fees or the cost of necessary cremation fees; reasonable cost of transportation of the body in the UK, for any part of the journey that is in excess of 50 miles, and the necessary cost of that part of the return journey that is over 50 miles for the transport of the coffin and bearers, plus 1 additional vehicle; the cost of documentation needed for the immediate release of assets of the deceased; and the necessary expenses of one return journey for the responsible person to arrange or attend the funeral. We also provide up to £700 for other funeral expenses. To be eligible for a Funeral Payment the person who is responsible for payment of the funeral bill must be the partner of the deceased, if there is one, or a close relative or friend of the deceased and be in receipt of certain income based benefits.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when universal credit will begin accepting claims for families.

Mr Mark Harper: In his Written Ministerial Statement of Monday 13 October 2014, the Secretary of State announced that we will be extending the Universal Credit service to families in the North West from later in the Autumn.

Northern Ireland

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have met the (i) First or Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland or officials from their departments and (ii) Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development in the last two years.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department and its officials continue to engage with Ministers and their officials in Northern Ireland. No meetings have taken place with the First or Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. The table below shows all visits made within the last two years where Ministers have met with the Minister for Social Development. MinistersDate of VisitsSecretary Of StateNo VisitsMinister for EmploymentNo VisitsMinister for Disabled PeopleNovember 2013Minister for PensionsOctober 2013Minister for Welfare ReformOctober 2012 November 2012December 2012March 2013

Social Security Benefits: Brent

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the London Borough of Brent have been subject to the household benefit cap for (a) less than one month, (b) between one and three months, (c) between three and six months and (d) more than six months.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment cases are in payment; and how many applications for such payments have been made.

Mr Mark Harper: The latest statistics for the number of cases in payment, and applications made, for personal independence payment have been published and are available from the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-july-2014

Independent Living Fund: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in each Welsh parliamentary constituency will no longer receive the Independent Living Fund from 30 June 2015.

Mr Mark Harper: Funding and responsibility for providing care and support to former-ILF users in Wales will transfer to the Welsh Government after the ILF closes on 30 June 2015. The Welsh Government is currently consulting on future arrangements to support users living there.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Fraud

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff were dedicated to food authenticity in (a) the Food Standards Agency and (b) her Department in each year from 2008 to date; and how much those bodies spent on food authenticity in those years.

George Eustice: In 2010, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had 12 full time staff working in its Food Standards and Authenticity branch, which included food composition and standards as well as authenticity. In the years 2008-2010, the FSA had between 3.5 and 4 staff members working solely on its Food Authenticity Research Programme, although other areas of authenticity-related policy work were carried out across the Standards branch. The FSA has estimated that authenticity work associated with the food authenticity research programme had an annual research budget of around: 2008/092009/102010/11£800,000£700,000£600,000   In 2010 22.6 full time equivalents (FTEs) were transferred to Defra under the Machinery of Government Changes. Thirteen of these officials work wholly or partly on aspects of food authenticity. This includes work on food composition and standards, food labelling and related science, including developing methodologies for detecting food authenticity. Three members of staff are dedicated to the Food Authenticity Research Programme in Defra, with additional support from an experienced external programme advisor. The budget allocation for the Food Authenticity Research Programme transferred to Defra for 2011/12 onwards was £500,000 per year. This budget has been protected through re-prioritisation within Defra’s overall food science programme and actual spend on food authenticity in each of the last two years has been above this level, rising to £660,000 in 2013/14. Defra works closely with the FSA which has responsibility for surveillance and enforcement. The FSA also makes available funds to Local Authorities as part of the National Co-ordinated Sampling Plan. These funds are not exclusively used for authenticity work, but a significant proportion funds authenticity testing. The funds allocated to the National Co-ordinated Sampling Plan were as follows: 2008/092009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14£900,000£900,000£900,000£1.6 Million£1.6 Million£2.2 Million

White Fish: Conservation

Mr John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to preserve stocks of sea bass in UK waters.

George Eustice: Given the widely distributed nature of the sea bass stock, the Government has been pushing for effective EU-wide conservation measures that will ensure the stock recovers and becomes sustainable. We expect to see EU proposals for bass conservation measures published shortly, which take account of the latest science and the socio-economic importance of this stock. The Government will also consider the need for any additional domestic management of bass in the context of these EU proposals.

Agriculture: Research

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) her Department, (b) the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and (c) other public bodies spent on each category of agricultural research in each of the last 10 years; what estimate she has made of public expenditure on research and development on agriculture as a proportion of total spending on research and development in each of those years; and what proportion of publicly-funded research and development related to agriculture is (i) basic and (ii) applied research.

George Eustice: Defra’s investment in agricultural research over the past 10 years can be categorised as follows: Financial yearResearch spend (£million)FarmingAgri-environmentSoilsAnimal health & welfareTotal2004/200537.02.71.238.579.42005/200635.72.81.337.977.82006/200729.12.71.138.671.52007/200825.01.61.037.364.92008/200922.71.80.834.159.42009/201026.01.81.431.961.12010/201123.01.91.332.959.02011/201223.52.11.630.757.82012/201321.12.01.727.452.12013/201416.21.11.824.543.5 The majority of this investment was in applied research. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s (BBSRC) investment in agriculture-related research has steadily increased over the past 10 years. The expenditure can be broken down as follows: Financial YearResearch spend (£million)BasicAppliedTotal2004/051642.258.22005/062245.167.12006/0726.544.771.22007/082847.175.22008/093350.883.82009/1033.356.489.62010/1130.757.588.22011/1230.960.691.62012/1323.16689.22013/1427.767.194.9 Department for International Development (DfID) has invested the following amounts in agricultural research over the past decade: Financial YearResearch spend (£million)2004/200537.12005/200638.62006/200735.92007/200838.32008/200940.62009/201065.12010/201167.92011/201286.92012/201369.22013/201494.9 As with Defra, the majority of this investment was in applied research. Together, Defra, BBSRC, and DfID’s investments in agricultural research account for more than three-quarters of the total spend by public bodies in this area. Smaller, but significant investments are made by the devolved administrations and other research councils., The Scottish Government, for example, annually invests around £50 million in research on rural affairs, food, and environment. A substantial proportion of this investment is focussed on both basic and applied agricultural science research. Figures on the total government spend on research across all categories are held by the Office of National Statistics. However, information regarding total public investment in agricultural research and development (R&D) as a proportion of total Government spending on R&D across all categories is not readily available. Defra is currently working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to deliver Action 1 of the Agri-Tech Strategy: a comprehensive mapping and evaluation of both private and government funding for research into agricultural technologies. This exercise will determine the total spend on agricultural R&D in the UK, categorise agricultural research investments by topic and identify the relative proportions of funding for basic and applied agricultural research in the UK. The findings of this work will be published next year.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to the best practice guidelines for shooting badgers made between 2013 and August 2014 on public safety.

George Eustice: The Independent Expert Panel concluded that they were confident that controlled shooting can be carried out safely, even in the context of protester activity. The police are also satisfied that this year’s culls can be carried out safely. As with the first year of the culls, Best Practice Guidance for the controlled shooting of badgers is in place and compliance with this will be monitored by Natural England.

Performance Appraisal

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials in her Department completed the Civil Service Employment Policy Performance Management System in 2013-14; how many and what proportion of those officials received the (a) exceeded, (b) met and (c) must improve performance mark; and how many and what proportion (i) did and (ii) did not qualify for a bonus under that process.

Dan Rogerson: 1865 members of staff at grades AA-G6 in Core Defra completed the Performance Management System in 2013/14. The breakdown of markings is as follows: Excellent - 434 (23%) Good -1305 (70%) Must Improve - 126 (7%) Performance bonuses will be paid to all staff who received an ‘excellent’ marking.

Performance Appraisal

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials in her Department of each (a) gender, (b) ethnicity and (c) age received the Civil Service Employment Policy Performance Management System's (i) exceeded, (ii) met and (iii) must improve performance mark in 2013-14.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials in her Department who received the (a) exceeded, (b) met and (c) must improve performance mark under the Civil Service Employment Policy Performance Management System (i) had a disability, (ii) worked full-time and (iii) worked part-time in 2013-14.

Dan Rogerson: Core Defra Performance markings split by gender, ethnicity, age, disability and working pattern for grades AA – Grade 6 for 2013-14 are still being analysed internally and have not yet been published. This data will form part of the annual Workforce Monitoring Report, which will be published on www.defra.gov.uk by 31 January 2015.

Game: Birds

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2014 to Question 206013, what the reasons are for the delay in publication of the study commissioned by her Department.

George Eustice: The study to determine whether cage-based breeding can meet the needs of game birds (AW1303) has not been published because it is still being peer reviewed.

Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office publication, Overseas Territories, Security, Success and Sustainability, published in November 2012, what progress her Department has made on each of the environmental Priorities for Action in that paper; and what further steps she plans to take to deliver those priorities.

Dan Rogerson: In the UK we work across Government to deliver co-ordinated support to the Territories on natural environment issues. Each Department leads on its respective areas of responsibility. Under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s White Paper, ‘The Overseas Territories: Security, Success and Sustainability’, Defra leads on biodiversity and climate change adaptation and is committed to providing support for endangered species and habitats. This includes work through the ‘Darwin Plus: Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund’ launched in October 2012 and implementation of the UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy. Together with its Agencies, Defra has continued to provide technical and policy advice and ensured the delivery of key research in the Territories. We recently published a comprehensive update on ongoing and planned UK Government activities in support of the UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, which sets out in detail some of our activities in these areas: www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-overseas-territories-biodiversity-strategy-update. Actions range from co-funding an officer based in the Falkland Islands, responsible for implementing the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels on behalf of the South Atlantic Overseas Territories, to funding environmental mainstreaming in Anguilla to help put environmental considerations at the heart of decision making.

White Fish: Conservation

Mr John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will designate sea bass as a species which can only be fished during recreational angling.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to managing the marine environment for the benefit of all users, including both recreational and commercial fishermen. We have no plans to designate sea bass as a species which can only be fished during recreational angling.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Parish Councils: Publications

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many town and parish councils have breached their statutory responsibility to publish minutes in the last three years.

Kris Hopkins: My Department does not hold this data. Our proposed Transparency Code for parish councils and smaller authorities seeks to increase the openness and accessibility of council papers and minutes by making them accessible online.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what compensation payments have been made to senior executives of Rotherham Borough Council leaving their posts since 2012.

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not collate or hold this information. Local authorities are independent employers and it is for each council to make local, accountable decisions on the management of its workforce, including any payment made to staff leaving their employment. While Government has no involvement in these local decisions, we expect councils to be open and transparent about the decisions they make about the pay and rewards for staff, particularly senior staff. Under the Localism Act 2011, councils are required to prepare and publish an annual pay policy statement setting out their approach to pay matters, particularly senior pay. In our pay accountability guidance to accompany measures in the Localism Act, councils are asked to give full council the opportunity to vote on severance packages of £100,000 or more before they are rubber-stamped. It is unacceptable for information about compensation payments to be withheld from local taxpayers and we welcome the CLG Select Committee’s recent comments that councils should publish the rationale for, and amount of, any financial payment to a departing chief officer within a month of the decision so that the public can understand why such a payment has been made. Severance payments made to senior staff must already be disclosed in an authority’s annual Statement of Accounts and cannot be protected from disclosure by confidentiality agreements.On 3 October, the Department further strengthened the public's ability to scrutinise councils by ensuring that they get the data they deserve through the local government transparency code. Part of that code is the requirement for councils to publish information on salaries for employees earning £50,000 or more, alongside a range of other pay and workforce information.

Ports: East Cowes

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether there will be a consultation by the Homes and Communities Agency over plans for the Venture Quays building in East Cowes.

Brandon Lewis: The overarching plan for the redevelopment of East Cowes has been the subject of widespread consultation and engagement with the local community over a number of years. As phases of the development come forward, there will be further consultation on these new proposals as part of the planning process - this will include the latest phase of development where the Agency is currently seeking a delivery partner to bring forward a mixed use development.

Ports: East Cowes

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on what basis the Homes and Communities Agency determined the market value of the Venture Quays site in East Cowes.

Brandon Lewis: The Homes and Communities Agency has a robust and well established policy on land disposals whereby it seeks to dispose of land at market value. As part of this process, the preferred bid for the sale of any land within the East Cowes site will be reviewed by an independent chartered surveyor - in line with the requirements set by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Ports: East Cowes

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Homes and Communities Agency has made of the (a) value to the Isle of Wight economy of and (b) number of jobs protected or created by expressions of interest in the Venture Quays site in East Cowes.

Brandon Lewis: The Homes and Communities Agency is working closely with the Isle of Wight Council and Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and anticipates that:(a) The development of land at East Cowes will benefit the Isle of Wight through the creation of at least 300 jobs, and around £60 million of private investment.(b) Around half of the 300 new jobs have been generated by the developments completed to date, and the remaining balance should be secured over the next few years from the remaining phases of development including the proposed marina.

Local Development Frameworks

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have had their local development framework rejected by his Department in 2014.

Brandon Lewis: None, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 23 June, Official Report, Column 109W.

Housing: Construction

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what housing target has been set under the regional spatial strategy for each local authority in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Brandon Lewis: None, as they have been abolished.

Scotland Office

Families

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech of 15 August 2011 calling for a family test to be applied to all domestic policy, which policies of his Department have been so assessed to date.

David Mundell: On 18 August 2014, my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister announced that the family test was being formalised as part of the impact assessment for all domestic policies. From October 2014, every new domestic policy will be examined for its impact on the family.

HM Treasury

Tourism: VAT

Sir Greg Knight: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received from the tourism industry on the level of VAT applicable to leisure attractions in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The Government has received a number of representations enclosing documents relating to the ‘Cut Tourism VAT’ campaign, which seeks a reduced rate of VAT for accommodation and attractions.   I refer the Rt Hon gentleman to my comments during the Westminster Hall debate on 11th February 2014.

Public Sector Debt: UN Resolutions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons the UK voted against UN General Assembly Resolution A/68/L.57/Rev. 1, Towards the establishment of a multilateral legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring processes.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is actively engaged in ongoing discussions in a number of international fora, to reform the framework for sovereign debt restructurings. As outlined in the joint-EU Explanation of Vote on this Resolution, the Government was not in a position to support this UN resolution given concerns over the lack of time afforded to members to discuss the complex issues it raised.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit reported a change of circumstances in 2013-14; in how many such cases payments were suspended while the change of circumstances was processed; and what the average amount per claimant was of such suspended payments.

Priti Patel: HMRC do not hold the requested data and there would be a disproportionate cost attached to obtaining it.

Pay

Mr Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) direct employees, (b) outsourced workers and (c) workers in agencies which report to his Department are paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Andrea Leadsom: HM Treasury and staff working in its agencies do not have any employees earning less than the living wage. We do not hold information on wages paid by our suppliers.

Tourism

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he has taken to attract inward investment and create jobs in the tourism sector.

Danny Alexander: The tourism industry is vital to our economy, creating jobs and growth across the country. The Government has consistently prioritised support for the sector. As a result, the UK enjoyed a record year for tourism in 2013 with overseas visitors spending £21 billion, 13% more than 2012. The Government has provided significant investment to support the growth of the industry. We launched the GREAT campaign to capitalise on the opportunity of London 2012, and this has secured investment of over £165m since 2011 to market UK holiday destinations at home and abroad. The Regional Growth Fund has invested over £19m in three years in local tourism, and creating over 9,100 jobs. We are also reducing the cost of visiting Britain. From April 2015, we will scrap the two highest bands of Air Passenger Duty, making the UK even more attractive to visitors from long haul markets. We have announced a visa fee refund scheme for 25,000 Chinese visitors next year

Tourism

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he has taken to support tourism in the devolved administrations.

Danny Alexander: The Government has provided significant support to the UK tourism industry, as set out in my accompanying answer.  Support for the tourism industry in devolved policy areas, including national marketing and local initiatives, is the responsibility of the Devolved Administrations.

Child Benefit: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes there have been in the number of households in each constituency in Northern Ireland in receipt of child benefit between January 2009 and January 2014.

Priti Patel: The latest information on the number of families receiving Child Benefit, by each parliamentary constituency, local authority and region are available in the HMRC snapshot publications “Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis” for August 2009-2013. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-benefit-geographical-statistics Table 6 on each publication has the requested information by Parliamentary Constituency for its corresponding year. Child Benefit statistics are published on an annual basis, using a snapshot of data in August.  August 2014 data will be published on 27th February 2015.

Home Care Services: Pay

Helen Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of homecare workers in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Warrington who are being paid less than the minimum wage because they are not being paid for travel time between appointments.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) very seriously. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) review every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition, by collating and analysing data received from various sources, HMRC ensure targeted enforcement to identify employers across the United Kingdom who are more likely to be not paying NMW. No estimates have been made. However, HMRC recognises the potential issues within the social care sector and have undertaken extensive compliance activity in this area. An evaluation of National Minimum Wage enforcement in the social care sector over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-minimum-wage-compliance-in-the-social-care-sector

Department for International Development

Procurement

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many infrastructure projects worth more than £1 million funded by her Department were undertaken by (a) UK and (b) US companies in each of the last four years; and what the value was of each such project.

Mr Desmond Swayne: For Economic Infrastructure programmes worth more than £1 million the following amount of centrally managed tenders procured were issued in each year to UK and US companies and the value of the tenders noted.UKValues £MUSValues £M20106£12.8, £8.5, £3.5, £3.0, £2.1, £1.1  20115£44.4, £12.4, £3.9, £3.1, £2.9  20127£20.0, £18.9, £18.0, £3.1, £1.5, £1.2, £1.1  201313£43.1, £31.6, £18.2, £14.3, £14.0, £13.0, £6.0, £5.7, £5.0, £3.7, £3.5, £2.6, £2.01£12.92014 to date8£28.1, £17.0, £13.7, £13.3, £7.1, £4.0, £3.5, £2.3

Procurement

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of the tenders issued by her Department for infrastructure projects were awarded to UK companies in each of the last four years.

Mr Desmond Swayne: For Economic Infrastructure programmes the following amount of centrally managed tenders procured were issued to UK companies in each year.   2010142011102012202013232014 to date12

Procurement

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many tenders her Department has issued for infrastructure projects worth more than £1 million in each of the last four years.

Mr Desmond Swayne: For Economic Infrastructure programmes worth more than £1 million the following amount of centrally managed tenders procured were issued in each year.   2010620115201292013182014 to date8

West Africa

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many dedicated air bridges her Department has established for the movement of personnel and equipment for the Ebola crisis within West Africa.

Justine Greening: At the request of the Government of Sierra Leone and under the auspices of the UN, the UK is co-ordinating the international mission in Sierra Leone to control, contain and ultimately defeat Ebola. The UK has committed £125 million to help deliver a command and control hub, construct and operate 700 beds and pay for national and international staff, associated commodities and community care. The third UK aid flight arrived in Freetown on Saturday 11 October, delivering lab equipment, PPE, vehicles, and equipment and beds for the Kerry Town site. Another, smaller aircraft is due to arrive on 14 October carrying further stores for Kerry Town, with a further large aircraft programmed to arrive on 18 Oct to continue the airlift of ETC and ECU stores.   The UK is also working closely with the UN on its plans to develop an air bridge to the region.

West Africa

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of isolation centres with sustained support to deal with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Justine Greening: The UK is taking a leading role in responding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and has so far committed £125 million towards combatting the outbreak. At the heart of this is the provision of 700 treatment beds in Sierra Leone, providing direct medical care for up to 8,800 patients over six months. Work is well underway on a 92 bed treatment facility in Kerrytown which will provide 12 dedicated beds specifically for healthcare workers.   To support these new facilities, the UK is funding the WHO to train over 120 health workers every week. In combination with the training of foreign medical teams and the planned deployment of UK health professionals, the UK’s support will enhance Sierra Leone’s capacity to quickly identify, isolate and treat Ebola victims. In addition, the UK is trialling local-level Ebola Care Units that will encourage people to come forward as soon as they feel unwell.

Developing Countries: Third Sector

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to announce future programme partnership funding from her Department from 2015-16 onwards.

Justine Greening: In the coming months DFID will hold consultations to inform the direction and choices for the future of strategic financing to civil society.

Iraq

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to (a) increase humanitarian aid and (b) provide development assistance for state building in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Department for International Development is delivering £23 million in response to the crisis in Iraq. Our Advisors on the ground are working closely with aid agencies, the UN and the Kurdistan Regional Government to further assess humanitarian needs. The UK government is lobbying the UN and the Government of Iraq to meet the humanitarian needs of all Iraq’s citizens, to protect minorities and to improve the tracking and reporting of human rights abuses including crimes of sexual and gender based violence.   Jointly with the FCO we are looking at how UK expertise could support the new Iraqi government build a stable and prosperous country.

Syria

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications of UK military action in Iraq for UK humanitarian aid to the victims of the conflict in Syria; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: DFID has not received any reports of any impact on UK aid operations inside Syria resulting from UK military action in Iraq. We continue to closely monitor the situation with our partners on the ground, and to receive regular reports from them.

Radicalism

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what new initiatives her Department plans to take in partnership with the governments of countries in Africa and Asia to combat Islamist extremism.

Justine Greening: DFID’s primary purpose is poverty reduction. We have a comprehensive portfolio of governance and social development programmes in Africa and Asia. Our development programmes broadly contribute to tackling violent extremism by helping build better states and societies that can respond more effectively.

CDC

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will review CDC investment policy to determine if the requirement that investee companies have non-discrimination policies in place effectively addresses the inclusion of disabled people as employees, customers and service users.

Justine Greening: CDC requires all of its fund managers and investee companies to apply and demonstrate progress towards the ILO core labour standards, including specifically ILO Convention 111 on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation). CDC investment policy states that non-discrimination (including disability) is a requirement for all investee companies.

Philippines

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many people were assisted by Operation Patwin; what costs were incurred by her Department in supporting Operation Patwin, by category of expenditure; and if she will publish her Department's learning review of that operation.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Operation Patwin was the armed forces contribution to the UK Government’s humanitarian response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Supporting the Department for International Development (DFID), the armed forces delivered essential supplies to an estimated 47,000 people and provided logistical support. The marginal cost to the MOD amounted to £8,950,281. This sum was reimbursed by DFID under the terms of a memorandum of understanding covering military support to humanitarian assistance missions. DFID has commissioned an independent evaluation of its Typhoon Haiyan response, and plans to share the findings with partners early in 2015.

South Sudan

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to prevent famine in South Sudan.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK has adopted the role of early responder to the crisis in South Sudan and is the second largest donor to the country’s Crisis Response Plan. Between January and September 2014, DFID contributed £82.5 million of humanitarian funding to South Sudan which included £16 million to the World Food Programme for general food distribution, £8.3 million to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, and £8 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to stimulate local production via seed, tool and fishing net distribution, as well as vaccination of livestock. Recent UN food security analysis has found that the emergency food security response was a critical factor in averting a widely-predicted outbreak of famine in 2014. Despite success to date in famine-prevention, communities in conflict-affected states remain extremely vulnerable and we remain concerned about the humanitarian situation in 2015 as the risk of famine is still very real if the conflict continues. For this reason, the UK announced last month a further £25 million of assistance, the majority of which will be spent on work to bolster food security. We continue to work with the UN and other donors to raise the prominence of the appeal and secure new and increased commitments of funds.

Angola

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of EU aid to Angola is spent on improving the food supply.

Lynne Featherstone: Of the €210 million indicative EU budget for Angola to 2020, €84 million is earmarked to support sustainable agriculture to improve food and nutrition security, a proportion of 40%.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Solar Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the Renewables Obligation for sub-5mW solar will be reviewed or consulted on before May 2015.

Matthew Hancock: Our recent consultation confirmed our policy that solar PV for projects of 5MW and below will continue. We continue to monitor the Renewables Obligation solar PV deployment pipeline for projects of 5MW and below. As indicated in our recent government response to the consultation on changes to financial support for solar PV1, if this monitoring indicates that deployment is growing more rapidly than can be afforded, we will consider taking measures to protect the Levy Control Framework. Any such proposals would require further consultation.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/360280/Government_response_RO-FIT_changes_to_Solar_PV_-_FINAL_2014-10-02.pdf

Cabinet Office

Families

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech of 15 August 2011 calling for a family test to be applied to all domestic policy, which policies of his Department have been so assessed to date.

Mr Oliver Letwin: On 18 August 2014 the Prime Minister announced that the family test was being formalised as part of the impact assessment for all domestic policies. From October 2014, every new domestic policy will be examined for its impact on the family.

Average Earnings

Owen Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Wales working (a) for the minimum wage and (b) below the living wage.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Minimum Wage
(PDF Document, 118.96 KB)

Minimum Wage

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England and Wales were paid the minimum wage in each year since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Minimum Wage
(PDF Document, 97 KB)

Charities

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions in (a) 2011, (b) 2012, (c) 2013 and (d) 2014 to date the Charity Commission (i) opened and (ii) did not open an inquiry into a charity after having engaged with that charity on a regulatory issue.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply. 



Charity Commission Letter to Member - Charities
(PDF Document, 138.12 KB)

Members: Correspondence

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will arrange for a substantive reply to be sent to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East in response to her letter of 26 March 2014 to Richard Heaton CB, Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office and First Parliamentary Counsel.

Mr Francis Maude: A response to this letter has been sent

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Children: Privacy

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with children's privacy campaigners.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Education about the protection of children from unwarranted press intrusion.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ministers have not held any recent discussions on this matter. The Government has introduced a new system of independent self-regulation of the press that protects press freedom whilst offering real redress when mistakes are made. This is a matter for independent press self-regulators. The Government has no plans formally to review the law in this particular area.

Broadband

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the Super Connected Cities Programme budget has been spent to date.

Mr Edward Vaizey: To the end of September 2014 £20.17m has been spent from the £150m Super Connected Cities budget, which includes budget transfers to the devolved administrations of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Mobile Phones

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the budget for the Mobile Infrastructure Project has been spent to date; how many sites have been built under that project; and what the completion date for the project is.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Mobile Infrastructure Project currently has 135 sites in acquisition stage, with options for site locations under investigation. There are 15 sites where planning applications have been submitted, 2 sites are being built, and to date 2 sites have gone live in Weaverthorpe, North Yorkshire, and North Molton in Devon, providing coverage to over 200 premises each. The project has so far spent £3.87 million.  The Government is committed to taking mobile coverage to as many premises as possible. Therefore the project will continue beyond March 2015 to ensure as many communities as possible benefit.

Broadband: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2014 to Question 205697, whether the target of delivering superfast broadband to one million premises by the end of summer 2014 has been achieved; and how many premises which have been connected to superfast broadband by the end of summer 2014 are in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government announced on 8 August 2014 that BDUK-supported superfast broadband coverage had exceeded 1 million premises. In the press release of 8 August 2014, the number of premises enabled under the BDUK programme in Cumbria was 38,965. Coverage information for below unitary authority level is not available, however proposed coverage plans and details on expected roll-out are available from Connecting Cumbria, the local project, at: http://www.connectingcumbria.org.uk/final-coverage-guide

Broadband: Rural Areas

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2014 to Question 205697, what proportion of premises in each county now have access to superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The information on the proportion of premises able to access superfast broadband at unitary authority level is published annually by Ofcom in a map. This is publically available at: http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/  Ofcom also provide a table of information on broadband speed at: http://d2a9983j4okwzn.cloudfront.net/downloads/ofcom-uk-broadband-speed-data-2013.csv for Spring 2013. Revised figures for Spring 2014 will be published later this year.

Broadband: Copeland

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2014 to Question 205697, when he expects 100 per cent of properties in Copeland constituency to have access to superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government’s current target is for 95% superfast broadband coverage by 2017. There is no target date for 100% superfast coverage at present. However, the Government has recently funded eight projects through the £10 million pilot scheme to explore solutions to provide near universal superfast coverage.

Music: Noise

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment his Department has made of changes in the level of threat facing music venues and cultural centres as a result of noise complaints; what the reasons are for this change; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current (a) legislative framework and (b) departmental guidelines on this matter.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government has recently reviewed its legislation as part of the Red Tape Challenge and believes that the law, as currently constituted, strikes the appropriate balance between considering the needs of music venues and managing the adverse effects that can come from noise. The Department is in regular contact with the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Department for Communities and Local Government on how the Licensing Act 2003, the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the planning system inter-relate with one another for entertainment premises. The overall regulatory regime has to strike a balance between enabling communities to have well-run entertainment events, the needs of music venues as businesses, and managing the adverse effects that can come from noise. The Government does not collect data relating to noise complaints. Results emerging from the National Noise Attitude survey in 2012 show that an estimated 3% of the UK population specifically identified public houses, clubs and other types of entertainment venue as a source of noise that was “moderately, very or extremely” bothering, annoying or disturbing them. These findings are similar to the results of previous noise attitude surveys conducted in 2008 and 2000. The Government keeps its legislation and guidance on licensing, statutory noise nuisance, and planning under regular review.

Television: Licensing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward proposals to enable people who are deaf to receive a discount on their television licence in the same way that people who are registered blind do.

Mr Edward Vaizey: There are currently no plans to bring forward such proposals.

Department of Health

General Practitioners

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2014, Official Report, column 382W, on General Practitioners, for what reason the figure for financial year 2009-10 (the figure as at September 2009) was not included in that answer.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The omission of the figure for financial year 2009-10 (the figure as at September 2009) in the Answer of 5 September 2014, Official Report, column 382W, on general practitioners (GPs), was an error on our part. The September 2010 figures provided instead were accurate and there was no intention to mislead.   The numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs, excluding retainers and registrars, and including retainers but excluding registrars, working in the NHS in England as at September 2009, 2010 and 2013 are shown in the following table. The number of FTE GPs has increased by 1,051 between 2010 and 2013. 



GP  Numbers 2009, 2010 and 2013
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25.9 KB)

Dr Daniel Poulter: The omission of the figure for financial year 2009-10 (the figure as at September 2009) in the Answer of 5 September 2014, Official Report, column 382W, on general practitioners (GPs), was an error on our part. The September 2010 figures provided instead were accurate and there was no intention to mislead.   The numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs, excluding retainers and registrars, and including retainers but excluding registrars, working in the NHS in England as at September 2009, 2010 and 2013 are shown in the following table. The number of FTE GPs has increased by 1,051 between 2010 and 2013. 



GP  Numbers 2009, 2010 and 2013
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25.9 KB)

Folic Acid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations the UK has made to the EU on the potential effects of the Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims on the use of folic acid in the NHS; and what steps his Department plans to take to publicise the potential benefits of folic acid in reducing the risk of disease.

Jane Ellison: The Government has not made any representations to the European Union regarding the potential effects of the regulation on Nutrition and Health claims on the use of folic acid in the National Health Service.   The Government already publicises the benefits of folic supplementation in reducing the risk of neural tube defect affected pregnancies through the NHS Choices website and Start 4 Life. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance states that advice on folic acid supplementation should be provided as part of antenatal care at first contact with a healthcare professional.

Families

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech of 15 August 2011 calling for a family test to be applied to all domestic policy, which policies of his Department have been so assessed to date.

Dr Daniel Poulter: On 18 August 2014 the Prime Minister announced that the family test was being formalised as part of the impact assessment for all domestic policies. From October 2014, every new domestic policy will be examined for its impact on the family.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2014, Official Report, column 391W, on radiotherapy, when hospitals with contractual arrangements with NHS England are instructed by NHS England to treat patients presenting as clinically urgent at the hospital's own financial risk while NHS England decides whether to fund the patient, what guidelines are in place for those hospitals which have followed that instruction on receiving reimbursement for such expenditure if NHS England subsequently refuses to fund the treatment.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2014, Official Report, column 391W, on radiotherapy, whether University Hospital College London included the provision of Gamma Knife Services at its Queen Square site in its notification log to commissioners for the financial year 2012-13.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2014, Official Report, column 391W, on radiotherapy, whether individual funding requests to NHS England to provide Gamma Knife treatment at University College Hospital London's Queen Square site are made directly by University College Hospital London.

Jane Ellison: University College London Hospital (UCLH) located in Queen’s Square does not provide gamma knife services. However, an independent provider called Queen’s Square Radiotherapy Centre Limited based at a site in Queen’s Square owned by ULCH does. Individual funding requests are, therefore, submitted by Queen’s Square Radiotherapy Centre Limited.   NHS England became responsible for commissioning radiotherapy services on 1 April 2013 and has no record of University Hospital College London notifying commissioners that it was a provider of this service.   Where contractual arrangements exist between NHS England and the hospital providing treatment, all patients will be treated in accordance with the prescribed clinical pathways and in line with those contractual agreements. It is only where providers treat outside the required contractual agreements that they do so at their own financial risk. However, as NHS England commissions gamma knife services, and we understand there is no waiting list, it is highly unlikely that the clinically urgent situation described in the question would arise.

Bone Marrow Disorders: Donors

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to inform people aged 16 and over about joining the bone marrow donor register.

Jane Ellison: NHS Blood and Transport (NHSBT) manages the British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR), the NHS Cord Blood Bank and provides specialist services related to the provision of stem cells which can turn into blood cells for the treatment of blood cancers and is responsible for raising awareness of these issues.   NHSBT recruits stem cell donors to the BBMR exclusively from the pool of active blood donors (aged 17 years and above), however those wishing to join at age 16, can do so through Anthony Nolan.   All registered stem cell donors are in the UK's aligned Register. Anthony Nolan manages this single UK bone marrow register, which is known as the 'Anthony Nolan & NHS Stem Cell Registry', and is aligned with the NHS British Bone Marrow Registry and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry.   NHSBT has programmes in place to support education about donation and transplantation for children and young adults including Give and Let Live, a national education programme aimed at promoting awareness of bone marrow, blood, tissue, cord blood and organ donation amongst 14-16 year old pupils.   Within the UK strategy ‘Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020’ (published in July 2013 and available at www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/to2020/), the UK Government Health Departments have agreed to explore with Education Departments the possibility of incorporating donation and transplantation into schools’ curricula.

Health: Screening

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of people have attended an NHS Health Check in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency, (b) Medway, (c) Kent, (d) the South East and (e) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning the NHS Health Check programme. Data is collected quarterly on offers and uptake and returned to Public Health England (PHE). PHE is not able to provide data on the Gillingham and Rainham constituency or the South East as these are not defined areas for data purposes. Data for Medway, Kent and the South of England are shown below (Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Thames Valley, Wessex, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire) together with England data.   For Medway, the eligible population of 84,700, from which 24,613 people (29.1%) have been offered an NHS Health Check in the five quarters since the programme moved to local authorities in April 2013. 10,460 people (12.3%) have received an NHS Health Check in that time. This represents an uptake rate of 42.5%.   For Kent, the eligible population of 450,487, from which 132,057 people (29.3%) have been offered an NHS Health Check in the five quarters since the programme moved to local authorities in April 2013. 42,998 people (9.5%) have received an NHS Health Check in that time. This represents an uptake rate of 32.6%.   For South England, which includes Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Thames Valley, Wessex, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, the eligible population of 4,194,522, from which 889,806 people (21.2%) have been offered an NHS Health Check in the five quarters since the programme moved to local authorities in April 2013. 360,863 people (8.6%) have received an NHS Health Check in that time. This represents an uptake rate of 40.6%.   For England, the eligible population of 15,449,660, from which 3,570,090 people (23.1%) have been offered an NHS Health Check in the five quarters since the programme moved to local authorities in April 2013. 1,715,419 people (11.1%) have received an NHS Health Check in that time. This represents an uptake rate of 48%.

Health: Screening

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Health Check.

Jane Ellison: The estimated impact and outcomes of the NHS Health Check programme are based on economic modelling published by the Department in 2008.   The Department’s Policy Research Programme (PRP) has commissioned two independent studies on the NHS Health Check programme, both of which are currently ongoing. One study is being led by Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, the other by Imperial College London. There are also a number of research projects, within both the Policy Research Programme (PRP) and National Institute for Health Research portfolios, which will have relevance for different aspects of NHS Health Checks and other related services.   In addition to these peer-reviewed academic research projects, there are multiple local evaluations of the programme being undertaken.   Public Health England, which supports local government in their responsibility to implement NHS Health Checks throughout the country, has set up an Expert Scientific and Clinical Advisory Panel to bring greater scientific rigour to the programme. The panel is due to publish a research and evaluation strategy which will establish a clear outline of the research and evaluation priorities for the future implementation of the programme.

Health: Screening

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consideration his Department has given to the involvement of pharmacies in the NHS Health Check scheme.

Jane Ellison: The Next Steps Commissioning Guidance developed by the Department for primary care trusts explicitly recognises the merit of pharmacy involvement for NHS Health Check programme.   While the majority of NHS Health Checks are presently carried out within general practices, a growing number are being delivered by community pharmacy. Public Health England (PHE) is currently conducting a survey to further enhance its understanding of the involvement of pharmacies in NHS Health Check.   PHE has been engaging local authorities and pharmacy providers to explore the benefits of using community pharmacy as a provider of the NHS Health Check. Consequently, several local authorities and pharmacy stores are exploring potential pilots, including Leeds Council and Asda. Learning from these pilots will be shared through the NHS Health Check learning network, which is managed by PHE.

Community Nurses

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusion on page 24 of the Queen's Nursing Institute Report, 2020 Vision: 5 Years On, published in June 2014, that almost 60 per cent of community nurses unequivocally believe they do not have enough appropriately skilled or qualified staff to deliver the patient care they think is needed.

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies conclusion of paragraph 6 of the Queen's Nursing Institute Report, 2020 Vision: 5 Years On, published in June 2014, that community nursing teams do not have capacity to accommodate any increase in demand for their services.

Dr Daniel Poulter: District nursing services involves qualified district nurses leading and supporting multi-disciplinary teams that include staff nurses, community nurses and healthcare assistants working with other professions such as general practicioners and Allied Health Professionals. Staffing levels are the responsibility of providers, who must make sure the skill mix of the workforce reflects patient care needs and local requirements, giving due consideration to the experience and capabilities of staff.   The Government is investing in the current and future workforce to have capacity and capability to provide services in a whole range of settings. To ensure that we have an adequate supply of highly skilled district nurses, Health Education England has expanded the number of training places for district nurses for 2014-15 by 431 places, an increase of 7%.   Health Education England is also taking a number of other measures to increase the number of district nurses, including working with the Higher Education Sector to provide easy access to courses to enable nurses employed in other areas to switch to working in the community, reduce attrition and support retention, increasing the accessibility of practice placements for student nurses, profiling community nursing as an attractive career option and encourage nurses whose registration has lapsed and who have left the National Health Service to return.   NHS England is in the second year of a programme to deliver on the six areas of actions linked to the implementation of Compassion in Practice nursing and midwifery strategy, published in December 2012. In particular, Action Area five is about ‘ensuring we have the right staff with the right skills in the right place’ and one of its overarching objectives is to work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to establish adequate and appropriate staffing levels in all care settings, including community nursing. Within this is a specific piece of work with key stakeholders, including provider organisations, Health Education England and the Queens Nursing Institute, to develop a tool for workforce planning and staffing levels for community nursing based on population need; a tool that supports strategic planning as well as operational deployment of the workforce and that simultaneously considers the needs of integrated service redesign.

Antidepressants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of trends in the prescribing of anti-depressants during the recent recession.

George Freeman: The particular indication that a medicine is prescribed for is not known. Information on the number of prescription items indicated for anti-depressant dispensed in the community since 1991, as defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3 Anti-depressant Drugs. is shown in the following table. The number of prescription items dispensed per 100,000 population is also provided for context.   Antidepressant prescription items dispensed in the community in England and items per 100,000 populationYearPrescription itemsItems per 100,000 population19918,953,90018,70319929,914,33020,656199310,776,69022,404199411,816,43824,501199513,227,13727,338199614,960,61030,834199716,822,56334,568199818,424,47337,739199920,108,13041,009200022,021,84044,730200124,342,71349,227200226,329,38252,999200327,657,99055,399200428,995,51157,766200529,389,87458,076200631,037,98360,900200733,839,59465,860200835,960,53969,401200939,140,45974,987201042,787,96681,280201146,677,81387,894201250,167,20193,781201353,326,55098,999Sources: Office of National Statistics and Prescription Cost Analysis provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre

Self-harm

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his assessment is of the prevalence of self-harm amongst minors.

Norman Lamb: Data on the prevalence of self-harm amongst minors is not routinely collected.   The 2004 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey found the rate of self-harm in 5-10 year olds was 0.8% in those with no disorder, rising to 6.2% in those with an anxiety disorder and 7.5% in those with hyperkinetic disorder, conduct disorder or one of the less common disorders.   The prevalence of self-harm increased in adolescence with the rates of 1.2% in those with no disorder, rising to 9.4% in those with an anxiety disorder and 18.8% in those with depression. Rates of hospital admission for self-harm have increased sharply over the last decade.   Data on the number of people aged under 18 requiring hospital treatment for self-harm is available through Hospital Episode Statistics. The most recent data is in the following table.   Count of finished admission episodes with a cause code of self-harm and a count of accident and emergency attendances (excluding planned attendances) with a patient group of deliberate self-harm for (1) females under 18 and (2) males under 18 for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.   Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector YearAccident and emergency attendancesFinished admission episodesMaleFemaleMaleFemale2010-114,0389,2642,59411,4002011-124,2879,3882,36310,8682012-133,8009,9432,47312,305   Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre Notes:   a) admissions do not represent the number of inpatients as a person may have more than one admission in one year and   b) a patient may have attended Accident and Emergency (A&E) and then been admitted to hospital as a single event, in this case the event would be included in both the A&E and hospital admission figures   c) reference to the footnotes should be made when interpreting the data.

Mental Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish a new children and young people mental health prevalence survey.

Norman Lamb: The Department is currently commissioning a survey into the prevalence of children and young people’s mental health problems. It will not be possible to predict when the results will be published until the scoping exercise which is in progress has been completed. The main work on the survey, including the data collection, is currently scheduled to take place in the financial year 2015-16.

Food

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with (a) credit reference agencies and (b) supermarkets about the use of loyalty cards to analyse food consumption patterns to improve health.

Jane Ellison: The Department is in regular contact with the major high street retailers through its voluntary partnership with the food industry, including about how loyalty card data might be used to support and enable consumers to adopt a healthier diet. The Department makes use of other data sources, including Kantar and the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, to analyse food purchasing and consumption patterns.   The Department has held no discussions with credit reference agencies about the use of loyalty cards.

Debts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of debt on levels of wellbeing.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) has not yet undertaken an assessment into the effect of debt on levels of wellbeing. PHE is planning to assess this area further in the coming months, and will review the available evidence.

Debts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of debt on levels of clinical depression.

Norman Lamb: No assessment has been made of the levels of debt on levels of clinical depression.

Obesity

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with representatives of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the Guideline Development Group working on the draft partial update to Clinical Guidance 43 on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity.

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guideline Development Group working on the draft partial update to Clinical Guidance 43 on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity is taking fully into account all published studies in relation to the use of very low calorie diets for weight loss to ensure that in the interests of patient care and NHS expenditure all practical alternatives to bariatric surgery are considered prior to such surgery being offered.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no such discussions.   The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and as such it would be inappropriate for Ministers to intervene. NICE is responsible for the methods used to develop and update its guidance and reviews its published clinical guidelines in order to take account of the latest available evidence.   NICE consulted on its draft updated clinical guideline on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obese adults and children in July and August. NICE will take the stakeholder comments from the consultation into account in developing the final guideline, which is currently planned for publication in November.

Antidepressants: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions were issued for antidepressant medication in Harlow constituency in each of the last 10 years.

George Freeman: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows numbers of prescriptions issued for antidepressant medication for West Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) from 2010-11 to 2012-13 and for West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for 2013-14. Data is not available at constituency level or prior to 2010-11.   Numbers of antidepressant prescription items written in the specified organisations and dispensed in the community by the specified financial yearsYear2010-112011-122012/132013-14West Essex PCT233,181252,536258,873-West Essex CCG---274,969 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) system   Notes: 1. The data in the table relate to prescriptions of items from the British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3. 2. The data available in PACT is a rolling 60-month dataset, so only the number of prescriptions in the last four full financial years is available. 3. PACT covers prescriptions prescribed by GPs, nurses, pharmacists and others in England and dispensed in the community in the UK. For data at PCT level, prescriptions written by a prescriber located in a particular PCT but dispensed outside that PCT will be included in the PCT in which the prescriber is based. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. 4. Prescriptions written in hospitals/clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals, dental prescribing and private prescriptions are not included in PACT data. It is important to note this as some BNF sections have a high proportion of prescriptions written in hospitals that are dispensed in the community including, for example, BNF chapter 4, Central Nervous System. These prescriptions are not included in PACT data. 5. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form known as a FP10. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item. 6. The PACT system uses the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. Information on why a drug is prescribed is not available in this dataset. Since drugs can be prescribed to treat more than one condition, it may not be possible to separate the different conditions for which a drug may have been prescribed.

Vaccination: Children

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of section 39 of the Immigration Act 2014 on the level of immunisations amongst children against the infectious diseases listed in Schedule 1 of The National Health Services (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011.

Jane Ellison: NHS treatment in primary care (which in this context includes the standard childhood immunisations) is currently exempt from charging under the National Health Services (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations (2011). In addition, treatment for infectious diseases listed in Schedule 1 of the Regulations is also exempt from charging.   Section 39 of the Immigration Act 2014 concerns a change in the definition of ordinary residence within the context of National Health Services charging provisions for non-EEA nationals who are subject to immigration control. Some NHS services are only free-of-charge to those people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Primary care services are currently free-of-charge, regardless of ordinarily resident status.   The introduction of section 39 will affect neither the exemptions in primary care nor the exemptions for infectious diseases.

Ebola

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to enhance preparedness to isolate and contain instances of Ebola in England.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State laid out the steps the Government are taking to enhance preparedness to isolate and contain instances of Ebola during his statement of 13 October, Official Report, columns 38-46.

Hospitals: Admissions

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) young people under 18 and (b) children under five have been admitted to hospital after ingesting methadone or buprenorphine in the last five years; and how many such ingestions were fatal.

Jane Ellison: The following table provides data on finished admission episodes (FAEs), finished discharge episodes (FDEs) and FDEs where the patient died, where there is a primary or secondary diagnosis of methadone poisoning, by the requested age groups for the last five years for which data is available.   Please note that: - data for buprenorphine ingestion has not been given as it is not possible to identify buprenorphine ingestion from the ICD10 diagnosis scheme available in the Hospital Episode Statistic s (HES) database, - both FAE and FDE are given as the question asks about both admissions and the outcome of the admissions, - admissions, discharges and discharges ending in death are not directly comparable because FAEs and FDEs do not represent the number of patients; as it is possible for an individual to have one or more episodes of care in any given period, while a death record can appear only once, - hospital stays can span year-end so that the numbers of FAEs and FDEs do not necessarily match within any given year, - any person who died without being admitted to hospital would not be counted, and - the ICD-10 codes were used to define 'methadone poisoning' is T40.3 Poisoning by narcotic and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], methadone   Count of (a) finished admission episodes (FAEs)1, (b) finished discharge episodes (FDEs)2 and (c) FDEs where the patient died3, with a primary or secondary diagnosis4 of methadone poisoning5, by the age groups (i) 0-4 and (ii) 0-17 years, 2008-09 to 2012-136  0-4 year olds0-17 year oldsFAEsFDEsFDEs – DischargedDeadFAEsFDEsFDEs – DischargedDead2008-0921210404002009-1022220686802010-1123230838602011-1221200484712012-131314031320 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   The following table provides data on the number of deaths due to ingesting methadone or buprenorphine in persons aged (a) under 5 and (b) under 18 for the last five years for which data is available. The data has been divided into deaths in hospital and all deaths so as to capture those persons who were admitted to hospital due to ingesting methadone or buprenorphine, but later died at home.   All deaths and deaths that occurred in a hospital where the underlying cause was poisoning by methadone or buprenorphine, for persons aged (a) under 5 and (b) under 18, England and Wales, deaths registered between 2009-2013 1,2,3  YearHospital deaths, under 5Hospital deaths, under 18All deaths, under 5All deaths, under 18Methadone20090001 20100103 20110108 20120101 20130113  Buprenorphine20090000 20100000 20110102 20120000 20130000 Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS)   Notes: 1. Cause of death was defined using the following International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes:   F11–F16, F18–F19: Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco), X40–X44: Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, X60–X64: Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, X85: Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, and Y10–Y14: Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning and where buprenorphine or methadone was mentioned on the death certificate.   2. Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents.   3. Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to complete a coroner’s inquest, it can take months or even years for a drug-related death to be registered. More details can be found in the 'deaths related to drug poisoning' statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/england-and-wales---2013/stb---deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning-in-england-and-wales--2013.html#tab-Impact-of-Registration-Delays-on-Drug-Related-Deaths

Health Services

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had in the last six months with NHS England's Executive Team on the review of specialised commissioning.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS England internal taskforce currently reviewing specialised commissioning plans to seek input from internal stakeholders.

Jane Ellison: NHS England created a Specialised Commissioning Taskforce which aims to improve ways of working and to ensure that specialised commissioning is undertaken in the most efficient and effective way possible.   My Rt. hon. friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with NHS England to discuss a wide variety of issues. Specialised commissioning was on the agenda at the July NHS Accountability Meeting between NHS England and the Secretary of State.   The work of the Taskforce is being carried out with input from key internal and external stakeholders. Within the Taskforce work programme there are specific projects which will need wider engagement and may necessitate public consultation.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what monitoring is undertaken to ensure that prescribers carry out adequate safeguarding of children living in families in which someone is undergoing opioid substitution therapy.

Jane Ellison: United Kingdom clinical guidelines for drug misuse and dependence make clear that doctors treating people with opioid dependence need to make sure that their patients are aware of the risks of their medication, and that they take necessary precautions to avoid it being accidentally taken by others, especially children.   Clinicians should assess risk to children and, if they suspect a child may be at risk, they must take steps, if necessary immediately, to deal with that risk. This may involve referral to other agencies, in accordance with relevant frameworks and protocols. The assessment may involve looking at the home environment and providing protective measures such as safe storage boxes to ensure medication is beyond the reach of children.   Monitoring adherence to the clinical guidelines, and taking action where there is a breach, would be the responsibility of the regulatory bodies, the Care Quality Commission and General Medical Council. Local authorities, commissioners, clinical commissioning groups, and local children’s safeguarding boards may set up their own local monitoring arrangements.   Local authorities have had guidance on developing joint local protocols between the drug and alcohol treatment system and children and family services. The aim of these protocols is to ensure that children are safeguarded through good assessment, clear pathways, information sharing agreements and competent staff.

Social Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on homecare workers receiving less than the minimum wage; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department is clear that care providers must abide by the law with regards to payment of the national minimum wage and will continue to take steps to ensure this happens.   Departmental officials are liaising with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the issue of social care providers who do not comply with the national minimum wage, and with HMRC on their ongoing enforcement investigations. Under new arrangements that came into force in October 2013, employers found not to be paying the national minimum wage, including care providers, will be publically named.   The Department is also developing a range of work to ensure providers are aware of their responsibilities, and have the practical tools, to ensure they are paying at least the national minimum wage.   Local Authorities’ commissioning can also play an important role in ensuring that care workers receive the national minimum wage to which they are entitled. The Department has recently consulted on statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation to accompany the Care Act, including guidance on commissioning and market shaping. The draft guidance explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages. Responses to the consultation are currently being analysed and the final guidance will be published in October. The Department is also working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Local Government Association and the Health Services Management Centre at Birmingham University to develop a set of Commissioning Standards. Local authorities will be encouraged to use these as a benchmark to support them to improve commissioning practices, including those which have an impact on the social care workforce such as employer compliance with national minimum wage.   The Department has recently provided a contribution to the Interim Evidence to the Low Pay Commission.   Ministers have not had recent direct discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on homecare workers receiving less than the minimum wage.

Heating: VAT

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of charging VAT on the installation, repair or replacement of heating systems in the homes of people with (a) Parkinson's and (b) other progressive conditions in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health has had no discussion with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of charging VAT on the installation, repair or replacement of heating systems in the homes of people with Parkinson's and other progressive conditions in the last 12 months.   Public Health England has published the Cold Weather Plan for England 2013 which identifies a range of groups at greater risk of harm from cold weather and appropriate actions for those working with these groups to take. Although there is no specific guidance for people with Parkinson’s, individuals with this condition may be included within these at-risk groups.

Health Services

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any changes proposed as a result of the current review of the commissioning of specialised services will be subject to public consulation.

Jane Ellison: NHS England created a Specialised Commissioning Taskforce which aims to improve ways of working and to ensure that specialised commissioning is undertaken in the most efficient and effective way possible.   My Rt. hon. friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with NHS England to discuss a wide variety of issues. Specialised commissioning was on the agenda at the July NHS Accountability Meeting between NHS England and the Secretary of State.   The work of the Taskforce is being carried out with input from key internal and external stakeholders. Within the Taskforce work programme there are specific projects which will need wider engagement and may necessitate public consultation.

Death Certificates

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many death certificates HIV has been mentioned in each year since 1985.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library data on (a) the number of people diagnosed with HIV, (b) the number of HIV deaths and (c) HIV prevalence in England since 1985.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England and its predecessors have monitored the United Kingdom’s human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic since the early 1980s.   The following table summarises the number newly diagnosed with HIV, the number of deaths occurring among people with HIV, the number of people accessing HIV care (i.e. diagnosed prevalent HIV infections) in the UK from 1985-2012, and the number of death certificates that specifically mention ‘HIV’, ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus’, ‘AIDS’ or ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’.   YearAnnual number of new HIV diagnoses, UKAnnual number of deaths among people with HIV, UKNumber living with diagnosed HIV* at year end, UKNumber of Deaths with HIV/AIDS listed on the death certificate, UK19852,9381533,635 19862,6483325,955 19872,3854257,917 19881,9405149,345 19892,16977910,739 19902,57194312,376 19912,8471,15014,077 19922,9221,26715,745 19932,8351,57517,014719942,8241,73218,124 19952,9311,73113,817119962,9031,48013,947 19972,86574815,074 19982,91551316,831 19993,26747020,012 20003,96248522,508 20015,13947825,9941720026,39552330,8494620037,40956435,97111220047,78648841,16817820057,92858846,52725820067,49856351,53527420077,38859656,21130420087,27361061,01929320096,67658965,21329720106,36270569,29831820116,21953873,64523120126,36448877,614286   * Numbers of people accessing HIV care in the UK before 2000 were estimated. Notes: As not all people infected with HIV die of the condition this is not necessarily recorded on death certificates, it is also known that there was under reporting on death certificates in the early years of the epidemic.New cases of HIV diagnoses are reported centrally from clinicians and laboratories.Death reports are collated from clinicians and supplemented with reports from the Office for National Statistics. Deaths include HIV and non-HIV related mortality.Patients diagnosed with HIV are seen for care and treatment at a network of free accessible HIV outpatient services. Access to, and retention in, HIV is extremely high; consequently these data correspond to diagnosed prevalence. The number of patients newly diagnosed and the number of deaths each year will not directly correspond to diagnosed prevalence; this is due to migration patterns and a small subset of patients (<3%) who do not attend care after diagnosis.

HIV Infection

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the development of a patient experience survey for HIV has been considered as part of NHS England's review of patient experience.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for publishing the outcomes of NHS England's review of patient experience.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress NHS England has made on its review of patient experience; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: NHS England is currently reviewing its programme of patient experience and outcomes data collection. The insight review aims to ensure that the data collected meets the needs of NHS England and its partners as effectively as possible. To inform this review, a steering group has been meeting quarterly to discuss priorities for data collection. This group includes a number of national stakeholder organisations in the health and care system; clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and NHS trusts; the third sector and patient groups; and clinical representatives. The review is also being informed by interviews with patient experience data leads in CCGs and commissioning support units. A new insight strategy will be published by NHS England in spring 2015.

Pancreatic Cancer

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will assess the effect of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's three-month end-of-life threshold on the number of treatments for advanced pancreatic cancer.

George Freeman: Since the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued its supplementary advice to its appraisal committees on the appraisal of life extending, end-of-life treatments in January 2009, NICE has not published final technology appraisal guidance on any treatments for advanced pancreatic cancer.   NICE is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on two treatments for pancreatic cancer: - Abraxane (paclitaxel) in combination with gemcitabine for treating previously untreated metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (final guidance is expected in January 2015); and - Theraloc (nimotuzumab) for the first line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer (final guidance is expected in August 2015).

Fast Food

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to address the problem of obesity arising from the over-concentration of hot-food outlets.

Jane Ellison: The location and number of fast food takeaways is a matter for each local planning authority to determine under their local plans. The Health and Wellbeing Planning Practice Guidance states that promoting access to healthy food is one of the issues that could be considered when making planning decisions.   In March 2014, Public Health England issued a briefing “Obesity and the environment: regulating the growth of fast food outlets” which addresses the opportunities to limit the number of fast food outlets, especially near schools, and gives practical advice to local planners and public health professionals. This briefing has been attached.   



Obesity and the Environment March 2014
(PDF Document, 776 KB)

Fast Food

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to address the problem of fast food takeaways near schools having a damaging effect on the health of children.

Jane Ellison: The location and number of fast food takeaways is a matter for each local planning authority to determine under their local plans. The Health and Wellbeing Planning Practice Guidance states that promoting access to healthy food is one of the issues that could be considered when making planning decisions.   In March 2014, Public Health England issued a briefing “Obesity and the environment: regulating the growth of fast food outlets” which addresses the opportunities to limit the number of fast food outlets, especially near schools, and gives practical advice to local planners and public health professionals. This briefing has been attached.   



Obesity and the Environment March 2014
(PDF Document, 776 KB)

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2014 to Questions 201000, 201001 and 201002, what progress has been made on the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership  one year feasibility study to inform the development of a future national clinical audit of HIV and sexually transmitted infections; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2014 to Questions 201000, 201001 and 201002, what the timetable is for the publication of the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership one year feasibility study to inform the development of a future national clinical audit of HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

Jane Ellison: The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership has now appointed a contractor for this work following a tendering exercise. It is anticipated that the contract will commence in December with a report being provided at the end of the one-year contract.

HIV Infection

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library data on the change in the number of patients with HIV living in England since 1985.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (and its predecessors) have monitored new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses and deaths in the United Kingdom since the beginning of the HIV epidemic in the early 1980s.   The following table summarises the changing numbers of patients newly diagnosed with HIV, the number of deaths occurring among people with HIV and the changing number of people accessing HIV care (i.e. living with diagnosed prevalent HIV infections) in the UK from 1980-2012.   Data for 2013 will be available from mid-October 2014.(A) Annual number of new HIV diagnoses(B) Annual number of deaths among people with HIV(C) Total number living with diagnosed prevalent HIV* at year end<1985940891,28019852,9381533,63519862,6483325,95519872,3854257,91719881,9405149,34519892,16977910,73919902,57194312,37619912,8471,15014,07719922,9221,26715,74519932,8351,57517,01419942,8241,73218,12419952,9311,73113,81719962,9031,48013,94719972,86574815,07419982,91551316,83119993,26747020,01220003,96248522,50820015,13947825,99420026,39552330,84920037,40956435,97120047,78648841,16820057,92858846,52720067,49856351,53520077,38859656,21120087,27361061,01920096,67658965,21320106,36270569,29820116,21953873,64520126,36448877,614   *Estimated before 2000.   Notes: (A) New cases of HIV diagnoses are reported centrally from clinicians and laboratories. (B) Death reports are collated from clinicians and supplemented with reports from the Office for National Statistics. Deaths include HIV and non-HIV related mortality. (C) Patients diagnosed with HIV are seen for care and treatment at a network of free accessible HIV outpatient services. Access to, and retention in, HIV is extremely high; consequently these data correspond to diagnosed prevalence i.e. the number of people living with a diagnosed HIV infection. The number of patients newly diagnosed and the number of deaths each year will not directly correspond to diagnosed prevalence; this is due to migration patterns and a small subset of patients (<3%) who do not attend care after diagnosis.

Smoking

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on how many fatalities have been reported in other countries arising from the use of (a) nicotine replacement therapies, (b) varenicline and (c) e-cigarettes.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many adverse drug reaction reports have been received relating to the use of (a) nicotine replacement therapies, (b) varenicline and (c) e-cigarettes by school children.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2014 to Question 206979, with reference to the finding that the number of serious suspected adverse drug reaction reports arising from use of nicotine replacement therapies and varenicline is significantly higher than that arising from the use of e-cigarettes, if his Department will require more prominent health warnings to be displayed for those drugs than for e-cigarettes.

Jane Ellison: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including those from prescriptions, those bought over-the-counter in pharmacies or general retail sales outlets. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.   The table below shows the total number of UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports in association with school children (ages 5-16), received by the MHRA up to 30 September 2014 broken down for E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Replacement Therapies (excluding E-Cigarettes) and Varenicline.Total Number of ReportsVarenicline3Nicotine Replacement therapy8E-Cigarettes0   There is unknown and variable level of under-reporting to the Yellow Card Scheme meaning that data collected cannot be used to calculate incidence. We are unable to calculate this incidence because neither the total number of reactions occurring in the population, nor the number of patients using the drug is known.   The MHRA does not hold data on the number of fatalities associated with nicotine replacement therapies varenicline or e-cigarettes in other countries.   The requirements for medicines labelling and patient information are set out in European and national legislation. Provisions already exist for a series of warning statements to appear on the packs of nicotine replacement therapy medicines. All medicines are also accompanied by a patient information leaflet which includes detailed information on the safe and effective use of the product and warnings about known adverse effects.

Cancer: Drugs

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many drugs were approved by the Cancer Drugs Fund and subsequently rejected by NICE in the last 12 months.

George Freeman: Since 1 September 2013, no cancer drugs have been added to the national list of approved cohort policies for drugs available through the Cancer Drugs Fund and subsequently not been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in final technology appraisal guidance.

Electronic Cigarettes

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of progress by the British Standards Institute towards the creation of a publicly available specification for e-cigarettes.

Jane Ellison: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of work on developing best practice standards by the British Standards Institute.   The revised Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU), which will enter into force from May 2016, will ensure a high level of health protection for United Kingdom citizens. It will introduce a new system of regulation for e-cigarettes and the continued availability of products that meet the regulatory requirements. We will consult, in due course, on plans for implementation.

Members: Correspondence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland dated 26 August 2014.

Dr Daniel Poulter: My Noble friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Earl Howe) replied to the hon. Member’s letter of 26 August 2014 on 24 September 2014. 



Response letter
(PDF Document, 401.65 KB)

Parkinson's Disease

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission a review of the application process for Parkinson's disease Duodopa treatment, with a view to simplifying and speeding up applications.

Norman Lamb: In April 2013 NHS England assumed responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for people with Parkinson’s disease.   Individual funding requests relating to treatments that NHS England is responsible for commissioning are handled in line with NHS England’s individual funding requests standard operating procedure, which is at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cp-04.pdf   NHS England has informed me that there are no current plans to review these arrangements.

Dementia

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department has committed to dementia research in each of the next five years.

George Freeman: At the G8 dementia summit in December 2013, the G8 countries agreed to work together to tackle and defeat dementia. The declaration, built on the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge, announced the G8’s ambition to identify a cure or a disease-modifying therapy by 2025 and to increase collectively and significantly the amount of funding for dementia research.   Investment in dementia research by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has already more than doubled from £12.6 million in 2009-10 to £26.8 million in 2013-14.   In March 2012, the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia announced that the combined value of the NIHR, the Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council funding for research into dementia will increase from £26.6 million in 2009-10 to an estimated £66.3 million in 2014-15. The NIHR does not have a ring-fenced budget for dementia research and has not committed a specific amount for expenditure on dementia research in 2014-15 or in each of the next five years.

Dementia

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to tackle dementia.

Norman Lamb: Dementia is a key priority for this Government and we are committed to ensuring people with dementia and their carers receive the best possible care in all care settings. That is why in 2012 we launched the first ever Prime Minister’s Challenge on dementia to increase diagnosis rates, raise awareness and understanding and double funding for research in dementia by 2015.   Since the launch of the Challenge, the Government has made significant progress across all three strands of the challenge. On 7 May 2014 the Co-Chairs of the Dementia Challenge champion groups wrote to the Prime Minister to update him on progress. They highlighted the important achievements in the two years since the challenge was launched. The letter also reiterates the champion groups’ ambition for England to become among the best countries in the world for dementia care and support. More recently;   - The Government’s refreshed Mandate to Health Education England, published on 1 May 2014, builds on the existing ambition to have 100,000 NHS staff receive Tier 1 training on dementia by setting an ambition for a further 250,000 NHS staff to receive Tier 1 training on dementia by March 2015, with the tools and training opportunities being made available to all staff by the end of 2018.   - On 7 May 2014 Public Health England and the Alzheimer’s Society launched a major new campaign with the aim of securing one million people to become dementia friends by March 2015. There are currently over 520,000 Dementia Friends.   - At the UK Dementia Legacy event held in London on 19 June 2014 following on from the successful Dementia G8 Summit in December 2013 the Prime Minister committed to new action to accelerate progress on dementia drugs, with focus on patents, funding and patient access to new medicines.   - The Medical Research Council announced the world’s biggest research cohort involving 2 million people as part of a 16 million Public-Private Partnership.   - Alzheimer’s Research UK announced a £100 million research pledge. This builds on the Alzheimer’s Society announcement made in December 2013, to spend at least £100 million over the next 10 years on dementia research.   - On 10 September 2014 NHS England published a new Dementia Toolkit aimed at helping general practitioners (GPs) making a more timely diagnosis and what they can do in terms of vital post-diagnostic support.   - On 3 October 2014 NHS England announced that £5 million will be made available to fund an additional enhanced service for GPs to run between October 2014 and March 2015 to drive improvements in dementia diagnosis.   - On 13 October 2014 NHS England announced that seven new ambassadors had been appointed to begin spreading the word about the importance of diagnosing more patients with dementia in a bid to help improve patients and their carers quality of life.

Medical Records: Databases

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NHS England to publish the list of clinical commissioning groups taking part in the care.data pathfinder stage; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter: NHS England published the list of clinical commissioning groups taking part in the care.data pathfinder stage on 7 October.   The clinical commissioning groups are Leeds North, West and South and East, Somerset, West Hampshire and Blackburn with Darwen. Further details can be found at:   http://www.england.nhs.uk/2014/10/07/ccgs-care-data-programme/

Mental Health Services: Young People

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission an assessment of the ability of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to provide appropriate counselling and support for those who have suffered sexual abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services provide assessment and support for children and young people with a wide range of mental health problems. This will include some who have suffered sexual abuse or exploitation, depending on their presenting difficulties, particular clinical needs and local referral protocols. In some areas, counselling and support for children and young people who have been sexually abused are provided through voluntary sector services, including some specialised services which may be commissioned locally. The Department does not intend to commission an assessment of the ability of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to provide appropriate counselling and support for this group, since this must be a matter for local decision-making based on an assessment of local needs. In addition, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being Taskforce will consider how best to improve outcomes for children with mental health problems. The Taskforce includes a specific working group on vulnerable children and young people, which will be asked to consider the needs of children and young people who have suffered sexual abuse or exploitation.

Mental Health Services: Rochdale

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people in Rochdale who are seeking talking therapy treatment have to wait for over three months to find out whether they will receive such treatment.

Norman Lamb: The data is not available in the format requested. Data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that in 2013-14 21.2% of patients requiring Improving Access to Psychological Therapies treatment in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group area waited over 90 days from referral to first treatment.

Mental Health Services

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for talking therapies in (a) Rochdale and (b) nationwide.

Norman Lamb: The following table shows the mean and median waiting times nationally and for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area from referral to first treatment for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services in 2013-14.   AreaMedian waiting time (days)Mean waiting time(days)England2139.5Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale CCG2961.9   Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre

Infectious Diseases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) isolation units and beds within those units, (b) infectious disease units and beds within those units and (c) infectious disease consultants there were in each year since 2010; what the geographical spread was of those units and consultants; and whether the Government plans to expand the number of those units and consultants to tackle the current threat of Ebola disease.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State laid out what hospital facilities were available for the treatment of Ebola patients during his statement to the House on 13 October (Hansard columns 38 to 46).   The National Health Service has a network of clinicians and infectious diseases units that work in a collaborative manner to manage patients with infectious diseases. In rare and complex infections, treatment is likely to include the use of isolation facilities with appropriate air handling and air filtration systems (for the protection of staff and public as per the Health & Safety Executive Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens guidelines). The use of beds is managed through the network and escalated as necessary based on the needs of the presenting patient. This network of units will continue to work together with NHS England to manage the current threat of Ebola as they would with any new or emerging infectious disease.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of people who accessed mental health crisis care in the last year had not accessed a mental health service before.

Norman Lamb: The following table shows the number of people within the Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) that had contact with mental health crisis care in mental health trusts in 2013/14, and of those the people who had not been in contact with mental health services between April 2011 and that contact.   Data for people who had contact with specialist mental health services prior to April 2011 are not available.   Table 1: Number of people that accessed a crisis care team in 2013/14 that had no prior mental health services contact from April 2011 onwards.   Total number of people who have been in contact with Mental Health crisis services in 2013/14.151,522The number of those people who had not been in contact with secondary mental health services between April 2011 and their first contact with a mental health crisis team.44,907The percentage of people that accessed a crisis care team in 2013/14 that had no prior mental health services contact between April 2011 and their first contact with a mental health crisis team.29.6%   Note: For the purpose of this analysis we have defined people who have accessed mental health crisis care as people who have had an attended contact with the following teams; - Crisis Resolution Team/Home Treatment   Source: Annual Files 2011/12 - 2013/14 MHMDS

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when updated guidance for commissioners, GPs and providers on patients' choice in mental healthcare will be published.

Norman Lamb: NHS England published interim guidance for commissioners, general practitioners and providers on patients’ choice in mental healthcare in May. This was consulted upon until August and the final guidance is scheduled for publication at the end of October.

Ebola

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new guidance has been issued to NHS staff on (a) how to identify the symptoms of Ebola and (b) what to do when someone presents with symptoms; and what plans the Government has for a public awareness campaign on the symptoms of Ebola.

Jane Ellison: In the light of the continuing outbreak in West Africa, updated guidance from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens was published on 12 September; this covers an algorithm and guidance on management of patients. Public Health England (PHE) issued guidance for all medical staff in both primary care and acute trusts on 25 September. In addition three messages have been sent out to the National Health Service, general practitioners and private hospitals through the Chief Medical Officer’s Alerting System (CAS). The most recent of these was on 7 October and it covered assessment of patients for their potential to have Ebola, advice on how to have a test carried out and management of the patient whilst test results are awaited and once the diagnosis is known.   We are doing considerable work on providing guidance to the medical profession and there was an exercise on 11 October centred around scenarios in which cases of Ebola came to light in the United Kingdom, which heightened public awareness of the issues. In addition posters and leaflets are being made available in ports of entry. These describe symptoms of Ebola and give details of what to do if people become ill.   We are monitoring the need for a public awareness campaign in conjunction with PHE.